President Obama and PM Modi Affirm Convergence in Strategic Perspectives

During an official working visit of Prime Minister Modi to the United States, and marking the third major bilateral summit between him and President Obama, the leaders reviewed the deepening strategic partnership between the United States and India:

1. India’s ratification of the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage, has laid a strong foundation for a long-term partnership between U.S. and Indian companies for building nuclear power plants in India.
2. The United States and India share common climate and clean energy interests and are close partners in the fight against climate change. Leadership from both countries helped galvanize global action to combat climate change and culminated in the Paris Agreement reached last December.
3. The leaders welcomed the signing of an MOU to Enhance Cooperation on Energy Security, Clean Energy and Climate Change, and an MOU on Cooperation in Gas Hydrates
4. Reflecting Prime Minister Modi’s call to embrace wildlife conservation as a development imperative, the leaders welcomed the signing of an MOU to enhance cooperation on Wildlife Conservation and Combating Wildlife Trafficking.
5. The United States supports the Government of India’s ambitious national goals to install 175 GW of renewable energy which includes 100 GW from solar power.
6. The United States and India will jointly launch the third Initiative of the International Solar Alliance which will focus on off-grid solar for energy access at the Founding Conference of ISA in September, 2016 in India.
7. The U.S. and India today are announcing: the creation of a $20 million seed U.S.-India Clean Energy Finance initiative, equally supported by the United States and India, which is expected to mobilize up to $400 million to provide clean and renewable electricity to up to 1 million households by 2020.
8. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to cooperate on research and development, including through the announcement of an upcoming $30 million public-private research effort in smart grid and grid storage.
9. Both countries will work together to combat the threat of terrorists accessing and using chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological materials.
10. The United States called on Nuclear Suppliers Group Participating Governments to support India’s application when it comes up at the NSG Plenary.  The United States also re-affirmed its support for India’s early membership of the Australia Group and Wassenaar Arrangement.
11. The leaders applauded the completion of a roadmap for cooperation under the 2015 U.S.-India Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region, which will serve as a guide for collaboration in the years to come.
12. The United States hereby recognizes India as a Major Defense Partner.  India will receive license-free access to a wide range of dual-use technologies in conjunction with steps that India has committed to take to advance its export control objectives. Also, in support of India’s Make in India initiative, and to support the development of robust defense industries and their integration into the global supply chain, the United States will continue to facilitate the export of goods and technologies, consistent with U.S. law, for projects, programs and joint ventures in support of official U.S.-India defense cooperation.
13. The leaders welcomed the progress toward establishment of an ISRO-NASA Heliophysics Working Group as well as toward finalization of a Memorandum of Understanding for exchange of earth observation satellite data.
14. They committed to deepen cooperation on cybersecurity and welcomed the understanding reached to finalize the Framework for the U.S.-India Cyber Relationship in the near term.
15. The two heads of state announced further steps to deepen collaboration against the full spectrum of terrorist threats.
16. In order to substantially increase bilateral trade, they pledged to explore new opportunities to break down barriers to the movement of goods and services, and support deeper integration into global supply chains, thereby creating jobs and generating prosperity in both economies.
17. The United States welcomed India’s interest in joining the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum, as India is a dynamic part of the Asian economy, as well as India’s hosting of the 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Summit.
18. The leaders affirmed their nations’ mutual support in exploring the most fundamental principles of science as embodied in the arrangement reached to cooperate on building a Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) in India in the near future and welcomed the formation of the India-U.S. Joint Oversight Group to facilitate agency coordination of funding and oversight of the project.
19. The leaders strongly endorsed expansion of the Indo-U.S. Vaccine Action Program, which is fostering public-private research partnerships focused on the development and evaluation of vaccines to prevent tuberculosis, dengue, chikungunya and other globally important infectious diseases.
20. The leaders recognized the global threat posed by multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and committed to continue collaboration in the area of tuberculosis and to share respective best practices.
21. The leaders reaffirmed their support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member.
22. They looked forward to opportunities to deepen the U.S.-India global development cooperation in Africa, as well as in Asia and beyond.
23. Both sides committed to open additional consulates in each other’s country. India will be opening a new consulate in Seattle and the United States will open a new consulate at a mutually agreed location in India.
24. The leaders also appreciated their governments’ joint efforts through the Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship to develop a cohort of climate scientists to confront the shared challenge of global climate change.
25. The leaders intend to renew efforts to intensify dialogue to address issues affecting the citizens of both countries that arise due to differences in the approaches of legal systems, including issues relating to cross-country marriage, divorce and child custody.