Barack Obama reaffirms backing to India's UN Security Council bid

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama has reaffirmed US' backing to India's bid for a permanent seat in a reformed UN Security Council as he and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreed to expand collaboration at the global level to meet new challenges.

After their meeting at the White House and a luncheon, Obama and Singh in a joint statement said that the two countries should look to each other as partners of first resort in addressing global challenges.

Reaffirming that in the years ahead, the US looks forward to a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member, Obama and Singh agreed that both their nations bear a "responsibility" to ensure that the 15-memberd body continues to effectively play the role in maintaining international peace and security envisioned in the UN Charter.

Building on ongoing consultations between India and the US on East Asia, Central Asia, West Asia and the trilateral dialogue mechanisms with Afghanistan and Japan respectively, Obama and Singh agreed to expand their consultations to include a dialogue on the Indian Ocean Region.

They also agreed to deepen coordination on cross-cutting issues including maritime security and conservation of natural resources, the joint statement said.

The two leaders resolved to work together to end extreme poverty, including through expanding efforts to end preventable child deaths through the Child Survival Call to Action.

Fifty years after the launch of India's own agricultural "Green Revolution", the leaders applauded their countries' work together with African partners Kenya, Malawi and Liberia to provide capacity building and exchange of best practices for food security, it said.

According to the joint statement, Singh and Obama recognised that increased cooperation in these areas will strengthen the US-India strategic partnership, highlighting shared democratic values and the capabilities the two countries have to work together across Asia and around the globe.

"The two countries have crossed a threshold in their relations where both recognise that successes at home and abroad are further advanced by their cooperation," the joint statement said.