Modi, Obama meet to discuss strengthening energy and defense between India and U.S.

WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Barack Obama met Tuesday at the White House for their third major bilateral summit to discuss strengthening the partnership between the two nations. Their conversation covered a variety of topics, though the underlying theme was furthering economic growth, sustainable development and promoting peace and prosperity.

Steps taken by the governments of both nations in the last two years through the U.S.-India Contact Group have addressed the issues of nuclear liability, and through India’s ratification of the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage, a strong foundation has been laid for a long-term partnership between the two nations.

President Obama thanked Modi for his administrations substantial contributions and active participation in the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, and welcomed the prime minister’s offer to host a summit on Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism in 2018. The U.S. and India have further plans to continue their relationship, working together to combat the threats of terrorist access to weapons that use chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological materials.

Obama and Modi were quick to recognize the ever present threat of terrorism around the globe, and condemned the recent attacks from Paris to Pathankot and from Brussels to Kabul.

Both leaders applauded the completion of the roadmap for cooperation under the 2015 U.S.-India Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region, a framework which will serve as the guide for years to come. President Obama and Modi both said that the U.S. and India should see each other as priority partners in the Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean regions.

The economic ties between the U.S. and India are expanding and growing rapidly, Obama said. In an effort to increase trade between the countries, both leaders pledged to begin exploring new ways to further break down economic barriers to move goods and services more efficiently. Both nations will seek to more deeply integrate more sophisticated supply chains, which they help will in turn result in the creation of more jobs.