WASHINGTON: Khem Cho, Mr Prime Minister! The Gujarati greeting by US President Barack Obama brought a little smile to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he stepped inside the White House for his first meeting with the world’s most powerful man. Mr Modi, on his part, responded warmly: “Mr President, Thank you so much.” For the next 90 minutes, the two leaders sat down for a free-flowing conversation that encompassed big issues as well as small talk. It was literally a warm-up dinner, albeit with a difference -– the fasting Indian prime minister sipped warm water while his host, accompanied by his senior cabinet colleagues, had their gourmet dinner.
Sparks did not exactly fly or the two leaders went down for a private walk on the White House lawns. Clearly, the bells and whistles were missing – the kind of lavish reception the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh got when Mr Obama hosted the first state dinner of his presidency in 2009. However, in the end, the first Obama-Modi meeting proved to be a fairly meaty mouthful before the full-course talks on September 30, which are expected to add a fresh sparkle to the much-touted defining partnership of the 21st century. The tone and substance of the initial interaction could be best summed up in the words –- “Chalein Saath Saath, forward together we go” –- the vision statement for the US-India Strategic Partnership that was issued ahead of the private dinner hosted by Mr Obama for his Indian guest.
Forging personal chemistry
It was a free-flowing discussion and a getting-to-know together meeting, Syed Akbaruddin, the spokesperson of India’s external affairs ministry, in Washington DC on September 29, told journalists after the first meeting between the leaders of the world’s oldest and most populous democracies. In the discussion, Mr Modi outlined his vision of India and sought the US’ proactive participation in India’s development journey. The prime minister shared his “hopes and aspirations for India, his development vision for India and how the US can help achieve that development vision,” said the spokesperson.
The focus was on forging a personal chemistry that will enable them to move forward on big issues that can lift up the India-US ties, which had drifted in the last few months of the Manmohan Singh government. It must have been a pleasant revelation to the two leaders about how they have so much in common in terms of their evolution as leaders. Not many know these commonalities between the two leaders with vastly different backgrounds: both had expertly deployed technology in their election campaign, both are consummate users of digital diplomacy and both were relative outsiders to the respective capital cities before they moved on to the national stage.
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The atmosphere was extremely convivial. They spoke about issues which struck a chord ,” said the spokesperson. The 90—minute meeting ended with a joint reiteration and reaffirmation that the India-US relationship was “among the most important relationships in the world.” This resolve to scale up the India-US relationship was reflected in the September 29 vision statement which said: “As leaders of two great democratic nations with diverse traditions and faiths, we share a vision for a partnership in which the US and India work together, not just for the benefit of both our nations, but for the benefit of the world.”
Alluding to “the currents of kinship and commerce, scholarship and science” which tie the two countries, the vision statement spoke about forging “a reliable and enduring friendship” and promoting a strategic partnership for prosperity and peace. “Through intense consultations, joint exercises, and shared technology, our security cooperation will make the region and the world safe and secure. Together, we will combat terrorist threats and keep our homelands and citizens safe from attacks, while we respond expeditiously to humanitarian disasters and crises.”
“We have a vision that the United States and India will have a transformative relationship as trusted partners in the 21st century. Our partnership will be a model for the rest of the world,” said the statement.
This vision statement will find fuller expression in the joint statement that will be unveiled after the first full-spectrum talks between Prime Minister Modi and President Obama on September 30.
(Manish Chand is Editor-in-Chief of India Writes Network, www.indiawrites.org, a portal and e-journal focused on international affairs and the India Story. Follow him on twitter@scepticcryptic).
Author Profile
- Manish Chand is Founder-CEO and Editor-in-Chief of India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org) and India and World, a pioneering magazine focused on international affairs. He is CEO/Director of TGII Media Private Limited, an India-based media, publishing, research and consultancy company.
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