During a joint press conference on the first official “state visit” of the Obama presidency, President Obama said he and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have pledged cooperation between the world’s two largest democracies.
“The relationship between our two countries has never been stronger,” the president said.
Obama also said he has “happily accepted” Singh’s “gracious invitation to visit India next year.”
The president also announced that the two had agreed to fully implement a nuclear agreement between the two nations and to push for new efforts on climate change.
Obama said the two leaders reaffirmed that any “agreement in Copenhagen should be comprehensive.”
Singh also said he and Obama agreed on the need for a “substantive” outcome at the upcoming Copenhagen climate talks.
The president also referenced the upcoming one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, and promised that the U.S. and India would work together to fight terrorism.
Mark Knoller asked the president about Afghanistan.
“I will be making an announcement to the American people about how we intend to move forward,” the president said. “I will be doing so shortly.”
After eight years, some of those years in which we did not have either the resources or the strategy, to get the job done, it is my intention to finish the job.
“I feel very confident that when the American people hear a clear rationale for what we’re doing there and how we intend to achieve our goals, that they will be supportive,” Obama said.
Obama continued:
The whole world has a core security interest in making sure the type of extremism and violence…is tackled…in a serious way.
“We have to do it,” Obama said — but “as part of the broader international community.”
