Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s opening statement at the joint press conference at the White House

Washington, DC
July 18, 2005

“I would like to begin by thanking President Bush for the warmth of his hospitality and the wide-ranging discussions that we have had this morning with him. These discussions have been indeed very productive and focused on the future direction of a transformation in our multi-faceted relations. I am happy that the President and I share the common goal of making this one of the principal relationships for each of our countries. President’s personal commitment to this relationship is deeply admired by the people of India. The support and goodwill of the friendly people of the United States in managing the transition from a developing country to a fast expanding economy is something we greatly welcome and greatly appreciate. The President’s assurance to me that India’s sustained economic growth has a strong support and support of the United States means a lot to us.

The Joint Statement that we have agreed upon lays out the full potential of our multi-faceted cooperation. The President has accepted my invitation to visit India at the earliest and we are confident that the results of the understanding that we have reached today would be fully evident by then. Our partnership is one between rigorous and vibrant democracies and we have agreed today to give expression to our shared values in a variety of ways. The President’s steadfast determination and leadership in meeting the challenges of international terrorism is widely appreciated by us, in particular, by all civilised men and women over the world. There can be no cause that justifies the killing of innocent and defenceless civilians. There must be an international norm of zero tolerance for terrorism. Meeting global challenges requires credible and effective global institutions.

Today, the world is debating the reform of the United Nations. In our talks, President and I were of one mind that the contemporary reality must be fully reflected in the central organs and decision-making processes of the UN. India has a compelling case for permanent membership of the Security Council. We are convinced that India can significantly contribute to UN decision making and capabilities. A growing Indian economy with an accelerated growth rate averaging about 6-7 per cent till recent years and its integration with the world economy would expand the scope for commerce, investment and technological collaboration between our two countries.

Shortly, after this press interaction, the President and I will spend a few minutes with corporate leaders from both countries of the first meeting of the CEOs forum. This forum include some of the best business minds of our two countries.

We have announced today a series of other initiatives designed to build a long-term knowledge-driven partnership between India and the United States. These reflect the vision that the President and I have of our shared future. We also discussed the importance of ensuring adequate energy and affordable supplies at a time when oil prices remain high. Both of us recognise that civilian nuclear energy has a greater role in meeting global energy demands. We in India have an ambitious and attainable national roadmap in this regard. We look forward to President Bush’s strong leadership on this important issue. I must once again thank you Mr. President for the warmth of your welcome and for your deep and abiding personal commitment to the building of our partnership.

I will now be glad to take your questions.”