Photograph @PIB_India

The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama, pledged both countries would go forward together ('chalein saath saath') as Modi's high-profile visit to the US came to an end Wednesday.

In a joint statement published Tuesday, both leaders pledged greater cooperation on trade, defence and space technology amongst other things.

"The two leaders extolled the broad strategic and global partnership between the United States and India, which will continue to generate greater prosperity and security for their citizens and the world.  Prime Minister Modi emphasized the priority India accords to its partnership with the United States, a principal partner in the realization of India’s rise as a responsible, influential world power.  Given the shared values, people-to-people ties, and pluralistic traditions, President Obama recognized that India’s rise as a friend and partner is in the United States’ interest.  They endorsed the first “Vision Statement for the Strategic Partnership” as a guide to strengthen and deepen cooperation in every sector for the benefit of global stability and people’s livelihoods over the next ten years.  They committed to a new mantra for the relationship, “Chalein Saath Saath: Forward Together We Go.”  

See here for full statement.

In a joint op-ed published in the Washington Post on Tuesday, the two leaders spoke of a "renewed US-India partnership for the 21st century", as nations "committed to democracy, liberty, diversity and enterprise".

"Ties between the United States and India are rooted in the shared desire of our citizens for justice and equality. When Swami Vivekananda presented Hinduism as a world religion, he did so at the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago. When Martin Luther King Jr. sought to end discrimination and prejudice against African Americans, he was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s nonviolent teachings. Gandhiji himself drew upon the writings of Henry David Thoreau," Obama and Modi wrote.

See here for full op-ed. Extract published below:

"After many years of growing cooperation since, on any given day, our students work together on research projects, our scientists develop cutting-edge technology and senior officials consult closely on global issues. Our militaries conduct joint exercises in air, on land and at sea, and our space programs engage in unprecedented areas of cooperation, leading us from Earth to Mars. And in this partnership, the Indian American community has been a vibrant, living bridge between us. Its success has been the truest reflection of the vitality of our people, the value of America’s open society and the strength of what we can do when we join together."

"The promise of a better tomorrow is not solely for Indians and Americans: It also beckons us to move forward together for a better world. This is the central premise of our defining partnership for the 21st century. Forward together we go — chalein saath saath."

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