Following is the
text of remarks by the External Affairs Minister Smt Sushma Swaraj at USIBC
event in Washington DC, USA
on September
21, 2015:
Honorable John Kerry, Secretary of
State,
Secretary Penny Pritzker, Secretary of Commerce,
My colleagues, Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goel,
Mr. Ajay Banga, Chairman USIBC,
Mr. Mukesh Aghi, President of the USIBC,
Friends from business and government,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you very much Secretary Kerry for your warm and generous words.
Let me also thank Mr. Banga, Chairman USIBC and President Mukesh Aghi for
inviting me and my Ministerial colleagues from India to share the joy and
success of USIBC at its 40th Anniversary celebrations.
I would also like to thank Vice President, Excellency Joe Biden for his
gracious presence here and his resounding optimism about the India-U.S.
relations. This has created the right atmosphere for the first meeting of the
India-U.S. Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, which I look forward to
co-chairing with my friend, Secretary Kerry, tomorrow.
I also deeply appreciate the crucial role of my colleagues Minister Sitharaman,
Minister Piyush Goyal; and U.S. Commerce Secretary Pritzker and Energy
Secretary Moniz in the successful outcome of the dialogue.
It is true that an important pillar in the broad sweep of our multifaceted
partnership has been the strength and vigour of the private sector partnership
between our two great democracies. USIBC and its membership manifest the
tangibilities of this vitality in our economic and commercial ties.
You have been one of the key drivers and a positive voice in the growth,
evolution and continuing maturing of India-U.S. relations.
I commend your achievements, and in keeping with your past successes, urge you
to create new synergies that bring the businesses and governments closer to
each other.
Friends,
Today, our relations with the U.S. are defined by a natural synergy of
democracies and easy identification among our peoples.
We are both open societies which value education and enterprise. Institutions
in both India and the United States - the executive, legislature, political
parties and businesses - pulsate with the same values and beliefs.
Americans of Indian origin epitomize the appreciation of excellence, reflecting
the freedom and opportunity cherished in our countries. During the last
one-and-half year of Prime Minister Modi’s government, a sense of vigour and
purpose, steady stream of new ideas, creative approaches and focused action
have dominated our bilateral engagement.
Today, across both Governments, there is a great deal of comfort, maturity and
candor in our conversation. There is political support for building relations
with each other, in both capitals - here in the U.S. Congress and in our
Parliament. In last one year, we have worked to underpin our political and
strategic convergences with concrete action on the ground to progress our
overall engagement.
We have harnessed the commonalities between our two countries to further
bilateral priorities in several areas, including defence and security;
countering terrorism and extremism; clean energy and environment protection;
S&T and Space; manufacturing and digital technology.
We have developed mechanisms for co-development and co-production of defence
equipment and practical collaboration in defence technologies to enhance the
strategic content in our relations.
Our countries are promoting energy cooperation to facilitate India's green
growth, sustainable development and energy security.
We are doing so not only in the bilateral space but also in responding to the
global challenge of climate change. We are linked by ties of research,
education, health and science.
Above all, in charting future path of cooperation in these areas, our
collaboration has not only served our two countries but served the wider world.
Friends, one of the key priorities of Prime Minister Modi’s Government is to
focus sharply on meeting India’s developmental priorities and overcoming
various challenges. Naturally, high economic growth is one of the ways for us
to address our needs.
But, beyond relying on the downstream impact of high growth, the matrix of our
responses also includes efficient, effective and transparent policy and
executive action.
The approach of our Government also envisages proactive and extensive use of
innovation, technology and research to leapfrog some of the physical
infrastructural constraints that we face.
Friends, you are best placed to make your business decisions. But, it would
help if I underline here the scale of India’s economic ambition and the size of
economic opportunity that it represents for both our countries. Our focus is on
building 100 smart cities; rejuvenating the Ganges River and developing cities
along its banks and skilling 300 million youth by 2022.
We have plans to boost urbanization and we are determined to provide affordable
power and housing for all. We want to connect manufacturing in India with
global supply chains and target to develop product based and service based
industrial and governance platforms around Digital India.
All of these initiatives and plans present real commercial and business
opportunities for the U.S. industry to partner with Indian public and private
sector, and with a larger economy for a win-win outcome.
In doing so, and as is your key goal, you would of course create wealth for
your organization.
But, equally importantly, you would add value to the society, build long term
links with India’s economic growth story and strengthen economic underpinnings
of the India-U.S. strategic partnership.
The business of diplomacy in India’s present government is business. The
government’s priority from day one has been to make it easy to do business in
India and with India.
We want to ensure that the concerns of those who create jobs and bring value to
our countries are addressed. The decisions taken by Government have led to a
significant jump in FDI inflow into India in the last one year.
Friends,
As I said earlier, there is a strong recognition between our two governments of
the larger strategic vision driving our partnership.
That is why we elevated our relations through a Declaration of Friendship and
adopted a Joint Strategic Vision for Asia-Pacific and the Indian Ocean Region
earlier this year, when our leaders met in New Delhi for India’s Republic Day.
This strategic vision is also what I would appeal our business friends in the
U.S. to imbibe while doing business with India.
We see business between our two countries not simply as transactions, but as
yet another manifestation and another multiplier of that very important
strategic convergence.
We hope this will be reciprocated by the businesses. It will be a rewarding
experience, in more than one sense. I assure you that Government of India, and
my Ministry in particular, will be with you in every step of this endeavour.
I end my remarks with full hope and confidence in my heart in the ability of
our businesses to make the right choice for them and for our nations and our
1.5 billion peoples, and to carry forward that choice through Sanjha Prayas
Sabka Vikas, that is, Shared effort; prosperity for all.
Our joint effort would help make India-U.S. partnership, as President Obama had
said, "one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century.”
Thank you.
YSK