Partnership with India is critical and very important: US

Lalit K Jha
Washington, Jan 22 (PTI) As Obama Administration
completed its first year in office, the White House has said
that partnership with India is "critical and very important".
"It should be clear that we continue here at the
White House and in the National Security Council to view the
partnership with India is critical and very important," Mike
Hammer, White House spokesman told PTI Thursday on the
occasion of US President Barack Obama completing one year in
office.
In the words of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, it
launched the third phase –- Indo-US 3.0 -- of relationship
with New Delhi.
For Indo-US relationship, one of the key features of
the second year of Obama Administration would be Obama's visit
to India sometime this year.
"The President very much looks forward to visit India
this year, but do not have any concrete announcement to make
regarding that visit," Hammer said.
It was during the State Visit of Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh in November that Obama said he has accepted the
invitation to visit India this year.
Obama is expected to take his entire family to India on
his first ever visit to the country.
"President Obama had made priority in the first year of
his Administration to a develop close partnership with India
to build on the previous administration's work. (More) PTI