Dodd to visit India for talks on bilateral ties,economy

Describing India as a 'true' friend of US,Dodd said he will discuss with PM the bilateral relations and global economic crisis during his visit to India next week.

Describing India as a 8220;true8221; friend of the US,influential American Senator Chris Dodd has said he will discuss with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other top Indian leaders the bilateral relations and global economic crisis during his visit to the country next week.

8220;India is an important economic partner and has been a true friend to America for many years,8221; Dodd,the Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus,said in a statement ahead of his visit.

Dodd,a Democrat,is also the Chairman of the powerful Senate Banking Committee,a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a member of its subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs.

8220;I look forward to visiting Delhi and Mumbai and meeting with officials to discuss current issues affecting both countries and how to further strengthen US-India relations,8221; he said.

During his stay in New Delhi,Dodd is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Singh,External Affairs Minister S M Krishna,Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

In Mumbai,he would be meeting members of the Reserve Bank of India.

The visit of the Senator comes in the aftermath of the first-ever Cabinet-level Indo-US Strategic Dialogue held in Washington early last month. The Dialogue was co-chaired by Krishna Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Story continues below this ad

This week,top officials from both countries attended the Indo-US CEOs Forum meeting.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee along with Commerce and Industry Minter Anand Sharma and the Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission represented the Indian Government at the meeting. The US side included Clinton and several other top officials from the Obama Administration.

Recently,Dodd had received the 8216;Friend of India8217; award.

8220;India is a trusted friend to America and an important ally in addressing the global challenges that both our countries face,8221; he said,adding that he was proud to play a role in developing the relationship between the two countries.

8220;I8217;m looking forward to continuing my work on strengthening US-India relations in the Senate India Caucus during my last months in the Senate-and beyond,8221; Dodd said.