OBAMA'S SPEECH AT PARLIAMENT OF INDIA

OBAMA'S SPEECH AT PARLIAMENT OF INDIA
US President Barack Obama's address to the joint session ofIndia's parliament

Text of US President Barack Obama's address to the joint sessionof India's parliament made at its Central Hall on Monday:
Mr. Vice President, Madame Speaker, Mr. Prime Minister, Members of the LokSabha and Rajya Sabha, and most of all, the people of India.

I thank you for the great honor of addressing the representatives of morethan one billion Indians and the world's largest democracy. I bring thegreetings and friendship of the world's oldest democracy-the U.S.A,including nearly three million proud and patriotic Indian Americans.

Over the past three days, my wife Michelle and I have experienced the beautyand dynamism of India and its people. From the majesty of Humayun's Tomb tothe advanced technologies that are empowering farmers and women who are thebackbone of Indian society.

From a Diwali celebration with schoolchildren to the innovators who arefueling India's economic rise. From the university students who will chartIndia's future, to you-leaders who helped to bring India to this moment ofpromise.

At every stop, we have been welcomed with the hospitality for which Indianshave always been known. So to you and the people of India, on behalf of me,Michelle and the American people, please accept our deepest thanks. Bahootdhanyavad.

I am not the first American president to visit India. Nor will I be thelast. But I am proud to visit India so early in my presidency. It is nocoincidence that India is my first stop on a visit to Asia, or that this hasbeen my longest visit to another country since becoming President.

For in Asia and around the world, India is not simply emerging; India hasalready emerged. And it is my firm belief that the relationship between theUnited States and India-bound by our shared interests and values-will be oneof the defining partnerships of the 21st century. This is the partnership Ihave come here to build. This is the vision that our nations can realizetogether.

My confidence in our shared future is grounded in my respect for India'streasured past-a civilization that has been shaping the world for thousandsof years. Indians unlocked the intricacies of the human body and thevastness of our universe. And it is no exaggeration to say that ourinformation age is rooted in Indian innovations-including the number zero.

India not only opened our minds, she expanded our moral imagination. Withreligious texts that still summon the faithful to lives of dignity anddiscipline. With poets who imagined a future "where the mind is without fearand the head is held high." And with a man whose message of love and justiceendures-the Father of your Nation, Mahatma Gandhi.

For me and Michelle, this visit has therefore held special meaning.Throughout my life, including my work as a young man on behalf of the urbanpoor, I have always found inspiration in the life of Gandhiji and in hissimple and profound lesson to be the change we seek in the world. And justas he summoned Indians to seek their destiny, he influenced champions ofequality in my own country, including a young Martin Luther King. Aftermaking his pilgrimage to India a half century ago, Dr. King called Gandhi'sphilosophy of non-violent resistance "the only logical and moral approach"in the struggle for justice and progress.

So we were honored to visit the residence where Gandhi and King bothstayed-Mani Bhavan. We were humbled to pay our respects at Raj Ghat. And Iam mindful that I might not be standing before you today, as President ofthe United States, had it not been for Gandhi and the message he shared withAmerica and the world.

An ancient civilization of science and innovation. A fundamental faith inhuman progress. This is the sturdy foundation upon which you have built eversince that stroke of midnight when the tricolor was raised over a free andindependent India. And despite the skeptics who said that this country wassimply too poor, too vast, too diverse to succeed, you surmountedoverwhelming odds and became a model to the world.

Instead of slipping into starvation, you launched a Green Revolution thatfed millions. Instead of becoming dependent on commodities and exports, youinvested in science and technology and in your greatest resource-the Indianpeople. And the world sees the results, from the supercomputers you build tothe Indian flag that you put on the moon.

Instead of resisting the global economy, you became one of itsengines-reforming the licensing raj and unleashing an economic marvel thathas lifted tens of millions from poverty and created one of the world'slargest middle classes.

Instead of succumbing to division, you have shown that the strength ofIndia-the very idea of India-is its embrace of all colors, castes andcreeds. It's the diversity represented in this chamber today. It's therichness of faiths celebrated by a visitor to my hometown of Chicago morethan a century ago-the renowned Swami Vivekananda. He said that, "holiness,purity and charity are not the exclusive possessions of any church in theworld, and that every system has produced men and women of the most exaltedcharacter."

And instead of being lured by the false notion that progress must come atthe expense of freedom, you built the institutions upon which true democracydepends-free and fair elections, which enable citizens to choose their ownleaders without recourse to arms; an independent judiciary and the rule oflaw, which allows people to address their grievances; and a thriving freepress and vibrant civil society which allows every voice to be heard. Andthis year, as India marks 60 years with a strong and democraticconstitution, the lesson is clear: India has succeeded, not in spite ofdemocracy; India has succeeded because of democracy.

Just as India has changed, so too has the relationship between our twonations. In the decades after independence, India advanced its interests asa proud leader of the nonaligned movement. Yet too often, the United Statesand India found ourselves on opposite sides of a North-South divide andestranged by a long Cold War. Those days are over.

Here in India, two successive governments led by different parties haverecognized that deeper partnership with America is both natural andnecessary. In the United States, both of my predecessors-one Democrat, oneRepublican-worked to bring us closer, leading to increased trade and alandmark civil nuclear agreement.

Since then, people in both our countries have asked: what next? How can webuild on this progress and realize the full potential of our partnership?That is what I want to address today-the future that the United States seeksin an interconnected world; why I believe that India is indispensable tothis vision; and how we can forge a truly global partnership-not in just oneor two areas, but across many; not just for our mutual benefit, but for theworld's.

Of course, only Indians can determine India's national interests and how toadvance them on the world stage. But I stand before you today because I amconvinced that the interests of the United States-and the interests we sharewith India-are best advanced in partnership.

The United States seeks security-the security of our country, allies andpartners. We seek prosperity-a strong and growing economy in an openinternational economic system. We seek respect for universal values. And weseek a just and sustainable international order that promotes peace andsecurity by meeting global challenges through stronger global cooperation.

To advance these interests, I have committed the United States tocomprehensive engagement with the world, based on mutual interest and mutualrespect. And a central pillar of this engagement is forging deepercooperation with 21st century centers of influence-and that includes India.This is why I believe that India and America are indispensable partners inmeeting the challenges of our time.

Since taking office, I've therefore made our relationship a priority. I wasproud to welcome Prime Minister Singh for the first official state visit ofmy presidency. For the first time ever, our governments are working togetheracross the whole range of common challenges we face. And let me say it asclearly as I can: the United States not only welcomes India as a risingglobal power, we fervently support it, and we have worked to help make it areality.

Together with our partners, we have made the G20 the premier forum forinternational economic cooperation, bringing more voices to the table ofglobal economic decision-making, including India. We have increased the roleof emerging economies like India at international financial institutions. Wevalued India's important role at Copenhagen, where, for the first time, allmajor economies committed to take action to confront climate change-and tostand by those actions. We salute India's long history as a leadingcontributor to United Nations peacekeeping missions. And we welcome India asit prepares to take its seat on the United Nations Security Council.

In short, with India assuming its rightful place in the world, we have anhistoric opportunity to make the relationship between our two countries adefining partnership of the century ahead. And I believe we can do so byworking together in three important areas.

First, as global partners we can promote prosperity in both our countries.Together, we can create the high-tech, high-wage jobs of the future. With myvisit, we are now ready to begin implementing our civil nuclear agreement.This will help meet India's growing energy needs and create thousands ofjobs in both our countries.

We need to forge partnerships in high-tech sectors like defense and civilspace. So we have removed Indian organizations from our so-called "entitylist." And we'll work to reform our controls on exports. Both of these stepswill ensure that Indian companies seeking high-tech trade and technologiesfrom America are treated the same as our closest allies and partners.

We can pursue joint research and development to create green jobs; giveIndians more access to cleaner, affordable energy; meet the commitments wemade at Copenhagen; and show the possibilities of low-carbon growth.

Together, we can resist the protectionism that stifles growth andinnovation. The United States remains-and will continue to remain-one of themost open economies in the world. And by opening markets and reducingbarriers to foreign investment, India can realize its full economicpotential as well. As G20 partners, we can make sure the global economicrecovery is strong and durable. And we can keep striving for a Doha Roundthat is ambitious and balanced-with the courage to make the compromises thatare necessary so global trade works for all economies.

Together, we can strengthen agriculture. Cooperation between Indian andAmerican researchers and scientists sparked the Green Revolution. Today,India is a leader in using technology to empower farmers, like those I metyesterday who get free updates on market and weather conditions on theircell phones. And the United States is a leader in agricultural productivityand research. Now, as farmers and rural areas face the effects of climatechange and drought, we'll work together to spark a second, more sustainableEvergreen Revolution.

Together, we're going to improve Indian weather forecasting systems beforethe next monsoon season. We aim to help millions of Indian farminghouseholds save water and increase productivity; improve food processing socrops don't spoil on the way to market; and enhance climate and cropforecasting to avoid losses that cripple communities and drive up foodprices.

Because the wealth of a nation also depends on the health of its people,we'll continue to support India's efforts against diseases like tuberculosisand HIV/AIDS, and as global partners, we'll work to improve global health bypreventing the spread of pandemic flu. And because knowledge is the currencyof the 21st century, we'll increase exchanges between our students, collegesand universities, which are among the best in the world.

As we work to advance our shared prosperity, we can partner to address asecond priority-our shared security. In Mumbai, I met with the courageousfamilies and survivors of that barbaric attack. And here in this Parliament,which was itself targeted because of the democracy it represents, we honorthe memory of all those who have been taken from us, including Americancitizens on 26/11 and Indian citizens on 9/11.

This is the bond we share. It's why we insist that nothing ever justifiesthe slaughter of innocent men, women and children. It's why we're workingtogether, more closely than ever, to prevent terrorist attacks and to deepenour cooperation even further. And it's why, as strong and resilientsocieties, we refuse to live in fear, we will not sacrifice the values andrule of law that defines us, and we will never waver in the defense of ourpeople.

America's fight against al Qaeda and its terrorist affiliates is why wepersevere in Afghanistan, where major development assistance from India hasimproved the lives of the Afghan people. We're making progress in ourmission to break the Taliban's momentum and to train Afghan forces so theycan take the lead for their security. And while I have made it clear thatAmerican forces will begin the transition to Afghan responsibility nextsummer, I have also made it clear that America's commitment to the Afghanpeople will endure. The United States will not abandon the people ofAfghanistan-or the region-to the violent extremists who threaten us all.

Our strategy to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda and its affiliateshas to succeed on both sides of the border. That is why we have worked withthe Pakistani government to address the threat of terrorist networks in theborder region. The Pakistani government increasingly recognizes that thesenetworks are not just a threat outside of Pakistan-they are a threat to thePakistani people, who have suffered greatly at the hands of violentextremists.

And we will continue to insist to Pakistan's leaders that terroristsafe-havens within their borders are unacceptable, and that the terroristsbehind the Mumbai attacks be brought to justice. We must also recognize thatall of us have and interest in both an Afghanistan and a Pakistan that isstable, prosperous and democratic-and none more so than India.

More broadly, India and the United States can partner in Asia. Today, theUnited States is once again playing a leadership role in Asia-strengtheningold alliances; deepening relationships, as we are doing with China; andwe're reengaging with regional organizations like ASEAN and joining the EastAsia summit-organizations in which India is also a partner. Like yourneighbors in Southeast Asia, we want India to not only "look East," we wantIndia to "engage East"-because it will increase the security and prosperityof all our nations.

And as two global leaders, the United States and India can partner forglobal security-especially as India serves on the Security Council over thenext two years. Indeed, the just and sustainable international order thatAmerica seeks includes a United Nations that is efficient, effective,credible and legitimate. That is why I can say today-in the years ahead, Ilook forward to a reformed U.N. Security Council that includes India as apermanent member.

Now, let me suggest that with increased power comes increasedresponsibility. The United Nations exists to fulfill its founding.