President Obama met privately with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday to discuss climate change, trade and reforming the United Nations Security Council to make India a permanent member.
The two leaders met on the fringes of the annual gathering of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where Modi thanked Obama for backing the world’s largest democracy’s bid to become a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. But while India has been seeking this goal for decades, no concrete details were released on a plan for reforming the Security Council or exactly when new members will be sat.
“I also sought the U.S. support to complete the reform process within a fixed time frame,” Modi said. “I expressed our appreciation for continued U.S. support for India’s membership of the International Export Control Regimes within our targeted time frame,” he added, referring to the international body that seeks to stem the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Climate was also a big issue for the two leaders.
“The president and I share an uncompromising commitment on climate change without affecting our ability to meet the development aspirations of humanity,” Modi said afterward, according to the White House. “We have both set ambitious national agendas,” he said, adding that India’s goal is to produce 175 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2022.
“I also thank President Obama for his positive response to my call for a global public partnership for developing affordable clean-energy source[s],” Modi said.
“We look forward to a comprehensive and concrete outcome in Paris with a positive agenda on combatting climate change which also focuses on access to finance and technology for the developing world, especially the poor countries and small island states,” Modi said, referring to international climate-change talks set for Paris in December.
Obama also highlighted the Paris meeting.
“We agreed that this is a critical issue for the world, that all of us have responsibilities,” Obama said. “And what I indicated to the prime minister is that I really think that India’s leadership in this upcoming conference will set the tone not just for today, but for decades to come.”
Both men mentioned cooperation on technology and trade as key issues.
“I was in Silicon Valley over the weekend. I experienced the strength of American innovation and enterprise that provide the foundation of American success,” Modi said. “We can apply innovation and technology by achieving sustainable development goals, including combatting climate change and conserving nature.”
He called the two country’s relationship a “natural partnership” that can “advance human progress.”
Obama discussed the unique positions India and the U.S. hold as the world’s largest democracies.
“[W]e have an opportunity to help to define a common set of principles that are consistent with what the United Nations believes and are consistent with what both India’s and the United States’ founders believed — that governments are there to serve their people and to provide uplift and prosperity to everyone,” Obama said.
“And in my interactions with Prime Minister Modi, I have to say that those ideals are ones that he not only gives lip service to but he also acts on,” Obama added. “And so we very much appreciate his friendship and his partnership.”
