United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk participated in a roundtable at the U.S.-India Business Council 34th Anniversary "Synergies Summit" on Wednesday, June 17, 2009. Other panelists included Karan Bhatia, former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, Tarun Das, Chief Mentor of Confederation of Indian Industries. Ambassador Kirk and the panel discussed the importance of and ways to strengthen U.S.-India bilateral trade relationship.
Read excerpts from Ambassador Kirk's opening remarks below.
"Thank you for the invitation to be a panelist today. And I'd like to take this opportunity to offer my congratulations on India's election last month.
Over 700 million Indians registered to vote and over 420 million Indians voted. The results give India's leaders an opportunity to take bold steps and move forward with trade liberalization and economic reforms that will benefit both India and the United States. The 420 million acts of democracy that took place when each of those Indians made their voice heard are as much a cause for celebration as the result.
...I recently had a number of wonderful conversations with India's new Trade Minister Anand Sharma, including at the Cairns Meeting in Bali last week where we had a very productive meeting. In fact, I look forward to talking again with Minister Sharma shortly after our discussion here today.
At the Cairns Meeting, we talked about how the current economic crisis is affecting businesses in both our countries, our shared commitment to revitalizing the global economy, and our shared goal of opening up new opportunities for trade between India and America."
Visit the India page for more information on U.S.-India trade relations.
