The United States appeared to back off on Sunday in its attempts to engage with the Afghan Taliban with visiting US secretary of state John Kerry emphasising the role of both the Afghan government and people in building its future.
Importantly, Mr Kerry also set the framework for the fourth round of the Indo-US Strategic Dialogue which takes place on Monday while delivering a lecture on “US-India Strategic Partnership” Sunday evening.
He did so by emphasising the huge potential for India-US economic relations, seeking a bilateral investment treaty to bolster investor confidence in India and dwelling on how the two can work together in areas like clean energy and climate change.
Striking a chord with the audience, Mr Kerry quoted a Hindi proverb saying “Ek aur ek gyarah hote hain (One plus one makes 11)” while stressing how the two nations can tackle present-day challenges together.
Offering condolences for “heartbreaking loss of lives” in Uttarakhand, he announced $150,000 in US aid. Mr Kerry, who arrived here Sunday, drew attention to cooperation between the two countries in other areas too, noting: “We have found in India an extraordinary partner in matters of defence preparedness, counter-terrorism and combating radical violent extremism.” He said the US welcomed increasing trade ties between India and Pakistan and urged India to play a “central role” in Afghanistan’s 2014 elections.