Describing it as a 'hopeful time' in the relationship between the United States and India, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns has said that the fact that the two countries are becoming strategic partners is a 'very consequential development' in international politics.
"On the verge of the visit of the President George W Bush to India, the governments in New Delhi and Washington have worked very hard to put in place the foundation stones of a partnership that is going to change the face of international politics," Burns said.
Complete Coverage: PM's US Tour
Burns was the Chief Guest and spoke at the Republic Day reception hosted by Indian Ambassador Ronen Sen at his residence on Friday.
"This is a very hopeful time in the development of relations between our two countries, two great countries. The largest democracy in the world and the oldest democracy in the world are becoming strategic partners and that is a very consequential development in international politics," Burns remarked.
Indo-US nuclear treaty: A good deal
"Despite differences that embody any relationship, we are united in believing that there is a natural affinity," the senior state department official said, pointing to some of the interests of both the countries on a global scale like combating the scourge of HIV/AIDS and promoting democracies.
Complete Coverage: Indo-US Nuclear Tango
"This is a great change. The cooperation we are seeing between the two governments is a welcome one," Burns said, stressing his sense of a shift in the way Americans think about India, more like the renaissance in Sino-American relations of twenty years ago and in the aftermath of the visit of Deng Xio-Ping.
He said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit, the state dinner and the quality work that went along with it by the two sides, has indeed opened up a new era in bilateral relations.
'National interest is at stake'
"It is the flowering of this relationship, whether it is social, economic, people-to-people or business, that is truly going to re-make the relationship and make it fundamentally different than what we have seen in sixty years," Burns said.
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Sen spoke of the special relationship that existed between India and the United States, which was moving further as strategic partners for mutual benefit.
That Obscure Object of Desire: Nuclear energy
Sen said the country was looking forward to the visit of President Bush which is a major landmark and hoped that the success of the visit would impart fresh momentum and content not only to the bilateral ties but also for the cooperation between Washington and Delhi in the international arena.
© 2026