NEW DELHI — Wearing white robes and a blue turban, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appeared relaxed last week as he discussed his upcoming state visit to Washington. Singh, 77, will meet with President Barack Obama this week at a time when many Indians fear Obama will focus less on India than did previous administrations, particularly as the U.S.-Chinese relationship grows in importance.
Q: You are President Obama’s first official state visitor. What would you like to accomplish in Washington?
A: We are strategic partners. We have good relations. But there is a new administration in America. So it is appropriate that I should renew our partnership.
Q: Will you and the president announce any new initiatives? How might India and the United States cooperate in the future?
A: We have a landmark agreement with the United States on nuclear cooperation. We would like to operationalize it and ensure that the objectives for the nuclear deal are realized in full. My hope is that we can persuade the U.S. administration to be more liberal when it comes to transferring technologies to us. The restrictions make no sense. India has an impeccable record of not participating in any proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. So that’s my number one concern.
Q: How do you see Afghanistan?
A: I hope the United States and the global community will stay involved in Afghanistan. A victory for the Taliban in Afghanistan would have catastrophic consequences for the world, particularly for South Asia, for Central Asia and for the Middle East. Religious fundamentalism in the 1980s was used to defeat the Soviet Union. If this same group of people that defeated the Soviet Union now defeats the other major power, this would embolden them in a manner which could have catastrophic consequences for the world.
We (in India) of course have more immediate concerns. We are victims of terrorism and the extremist ideologies of the type that the Taliban represent. If this is not checked, this could destabilize our country.
Q: Do you think the Pakistanis are trying as hard as they can?
A: As far as Afghanistan is concerned, I’m not sure whether the United States and Pakistan have the same objectives. Pakistan would like Afghanistan to be under its control. And they would like the United States to get out soon. The U.S. objectives are to get Pakistan to deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan. But I don’t see Pakistan wholeheartedly in support of action against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
