US visit a moment of great opportunity: Manmohan Singh

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday called his state visit to the US as a "a moment of great opportunity in our relationship" to together address global challenges of combating terrorism, making our environment cleaner and moving towards a world free of nuclear weapons.

"This is a moment of great opportunity in our relationship," he said as President Barack Obama rolled out the red carpet for him in the first official state visit of his presidency.

"India and the United States can, and must, work together to harness the immense potential of our talented and enterprising people, and support each other's growth and prosperity," he said replying to Obama's warm words of welcome.

Manmohan Singh said: "India and America are separated by distance, but bound together by the values of democracy, pluralism, rule of law, and respect for fundamental human freedoms.

"Over the years, we have built upon these values and created a partnership that is based upon both principle and pragmatism. Our relations have been transformed, and today they encompass cooperation in all areas of human activity," he noted.

He said amid applause he had come "to build upon these successes and to strengthen our multifaceted relationship. We seek to broaden and deepen our strategic partnership, and to work with the United States to meet these challenges of a fast-changing world in this 21st century."

Manmohan Singh deeply appreciated Obama's "strong personal commitment to our bilateral relationship."

Last updated on Nov 24^th, 2009 at 22:13 pm IST--IANS