NEW DELHI: With a wave and another namaste, President Barack Obama and his wife boarded Air Force One and were soon airborne on their way to their next stop Saudi Arabia. India and the US can be “best partners” POTUS said in his farewell speech, wrapping up a three-day visit.
“India and the United States are not just natural partners – I believe that America can be India’s best partner,” said President Obama at a townhallth is morning after receiving a rapturous welcome from a group of around 1,500 young people.
In a powerful speech at Delhi’s Siri Fort auditorium, he also made a strong appeal for religious tolerance saying, “India will succeed as long as it’s not splintered along religious lines.”
The speech was the finale of a packed visit which has seen a dramatic upturn in an often troubled relationship, including the signing of a new “friendship” declaration between President Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was till last year denied visa by the US.
On Monday, President Obama became the first US president to attend India’s annual Republic Day parade, a show of military might that has been associated with Cold War anti-Americanism.
Both Mr Obama and PM Modi emphasised their personal rapport during the visit. PM Modi broke protocol to receive the Obamas at the airport on Sunday and greeted POTUS with a hug, They also held an intense one-on-one discussion over a walk and then tea.
At their meetings, including an at-home at the Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday, they were seen chatting easily. In speeches PM Modi addressed the US President by his first name and the two leaders have even recorded a joint call-in radio show – Mann ki Baat – which will be aired at 8.30 tonight.
During the visit, the two sides sealed a clutch of deals to unlock billions of dollars in nuclear trade and deepen defence ties, and President Obama pledged $4 billion in investments and loans to release what he called the “untapped potential” of a partnership between the world’s largest democracies.
The US president’s visit has been widely seen as a bid to forge a relationship that will help balance China’s rise by catapulting India into the league of major world powers. In today’s speech he described the relationship between India and the US as potentially “one of the defining partnerships of the century”.
President Obama also said the United States would stand first in line for the trade and investment opportunities that will spring from the economic reform drive under PM Modi. “America wants to be your partner in igniting the next wave of Indian growth. As India pursues reforms to encourage more trade and investment, we’ll be the first in line,” he said today.
On Monday evening, President Obama noted at a business meeting that there were still “too many barriers” to conducting business in India. At the same meeting, PM Modi vowed to do more to slash red tape, promising a more liberal business regime and streamlined taxes.
