'Technology, economy and energy new drivers of India-US ties'

With the cooperation between India and the US bilateral issues remaining on track, aspects like technology and energy have become new driving forces in the ties between two countries, Indian Ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao has said.
Rao, while addressing an audience, here, expressed hope that the Obama Administration would soon give approval for the export of US natural gas to India.
"Technology is very much a driver in this relationship, especially high technology. I'm talking of strategic trade, trade concerning such areas as civil aviation, biotechnology, space sciences, nanotechnology," Rao said.
"And all this I would argue should, if I have a wish list for the future, become infused with much greater dynamism than they have been in past. So we have to focus our efforts and intensify the work we need to do in these areas," she said.

Rao was addressing an event organised by Heritage Foundation, which today released its report on India-US relationship.
Published jointly in association with the Observer Foundation, an eminent Indian think-tank, the report has given suggestions for carefully deepening the US-India partnership over the next few years, across a range of shared interests.

On this occasion, Rao referred to the proposed bilateral visits by leaders of the two countries in next few months, saying that "the embassy is going to be kept very busy in the next few weeks."
Rao said when it comes to trade and economic partnership, the two countries need greater collaboration in innovation, along with greater bilateral private sector engagement in manufacturing, services, energy and innovation.

"We need to move consciously with greater momentum on the bilateral investment treaty and train our sites on the exploration of advantages that will help us come much closer in such fields."
"On energy trade and technology and cooperation on regulatory aspects of energy, the export of shale gas, that has very much been in the news in the last few months," she said.
Rao hoped that the US Department of Energy will take its decision on many of the pending requests for export of shale gas to India.
"There is a lot that we can do, we are doing and must do for the future in renewable energy cooperation, including solar and wind energy, and also on availability of clean sources of energy, especially when we talk of climate change and we talk of how we should address the challenge of climate change and how we build a sustainable development model that can incorporate our concerns about these issues," she said.