The US Ambassador to India was the first Head of Mission in Delhi that External Affairs minister Natwar Singh received and spent an hour with, covering all areas in which India and America are engaged constructively.
It was stated that the UPA-led government attaches highest importance to having closest, acrimony-free, multifaceted relationship with the United States of America.
Relationship is said to be best conducted in a frank and friendly manner to strengthen, deepen, widen the relationship.
Even as it pursues closer engagements and relations with the USA, the UPA Government will maintain the independence of India's foreign policy position on all regional and global issues. The UPA is committed to deepening ties with Russia and Europe as well.
The differences were not to be aired publicly and be addressed diplomatically and tactfully.
The agenda with the United States is meant to be extensive. And it went on to call US- "the only strategic partner", where the relationship would be based on mutual respect, mutual understanding, mutual accommodation; cooperation, not confrontation; goodwill, not growling.
Robert Hathaway, Director, Asia Programme, Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars, Washington at a seminar on 'The United States and South Asia: A New Dawn?' summed up the relations well: "One has to accept that New Delhi and Washington are not natural allies. Even ‘strategic partner’ is not a useful term. A majority in the US believe that India is a part of the solution and Pakistan a part of the problem on non-proliferation. None were accusing India of the WMD proliferation; and none in the US believed that Pakistan was unaware of the A Q Khan proliferation network".
{{/usCountry}}Robert Hathaway, Director, Asia Programme, Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars, Washington at a seminar on 'The United States and South Asia: A New Dawn?' summed up the relations well: "One has to accept that New Delhi and Washington are not natural allies. Even ‘strategic partner’ is not a useful term. A majority in the US believe that India is a part of the solution and Pakistan a part of the problem on non-proliferation. None were accusing India of the WMD proliferation; and none in the US believed that Pakistan was unaware of the A Q Khan proliferation network".
{{/usCountry}}