U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivers remarks with Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna at the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue at the Department of State in Washington, D.C. on June 13, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
June 13, 2012

The following op-ed written by Secretary Clinton is appearing in print in India Abroad and online at Rediff.com:

This week, leaders from India and the United States will gather in Washington to discuss our expanding cooperation on everything from trade to technology to terrorism. There also will be issues on which we don’t see eye to eye, and some of those may dominate the media coverage. But if we look at the trend-lines as well as the headlines, a much more important story emerges: The strategic fundamentals of our relationship – shared democratic values, economic imperatives and diplomatic priorities – are pushing both countries’ interests into closer convergence. The world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy are entering a new, more mature phase in our relationship.

The most important bond between our two nations continues to be our common democratic heritage. We are both big, diverse, noisy democracies, committed to pluralism, freedom, and opportunity. Yet, for many decades, our economic and strategic policies often diverged. Only after the end of the Cold War, with India’s rapid economic development and growing regional leadership, did the trajectory of our relationship begin to change. MORE

About the Author: Ambassador Eric Goosby serves as the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator.

At this point in history, there is no reason why children should be born with HIV. Yet 390,000 infants around the globe were born with the virus in 2010.

Science has long established that providing mothers with antiretroviral drugs can prevent them from transmitting the virus to their children — as well as keeping the mothers alive themselves. What is needed is to take this intervention, available in affluent nations to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and make it available in the developing world.

The good news is that we know we can do this, in even the most challenging settings. The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has been the driver of a remarkable reduction in mother-to-child transmission in recent… more »

Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O. Blake, Jr., responds to questions during a live Facebook chat at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on June 11, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

About the Author: Hannah Johnson serves as an Assistant Editor for DipNote.

This week’s “Photo of the Week” shows U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s signature in the guestbook at the Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata, India, on May 6, 2012. Secretary Clinton visited Kolkata during her recent travel to China, Bangladesh, and India.

While in India, Secretary Clinton also met with Indian External Affairs Minister Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna in New Delhi, where she said, “It’s always a pleasure to be back in Delhi and to reaffirm what President Obama has called one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century. The United States and India are two great democracies with common values and increasingly convergent interests.”

Secretary Clinton and Minister Krishna will co-host the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue, which will be held in Washington, D.C. on June 13, 2012. Secretary Clinton said, “…We look forward to a productive Strategic Dialogue in June in Washington, D.C., not only to showcase the extraordinary progress in our engagement, but also outline how we intend to take our strategic partnership to a new level.”

Today at 9:00 a.m. (EDT), Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian AffairsRobert Blake will host a Facebook chat to answer your questions about the Secretary’s trip to Bangladesh and India. You can submit your question at any time by commenting on their Facebook page.

You can view more photographs from the Secretary’s visit to India on the State Department’s Flickr photostream.