Thaindian News

New Delhi, Nov 19 (IANS) Ten days after US President Barack Obama wrapped up his four-day visit to India, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna Friday told parliament that New Delhi welcomed the affirmation of US support for its permanent membership of a reformed UN Security Council.

“We welcome President Obama’s affirmation of US support for India’s permanent membership of a reformed United Nations Security Council,” Krishna said in a suo moto statement in Lok Sabha on Obama’s Nov 6-9 visit.

“This reflects the shared belief of our two sides that an efficient, effective, credible and legitimate United Nations is required to ensure a just and sustainable international order,” he said amidst a din in parliament by the opposition, which is demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe in the 2G spectrum allocation scam. The house was later adjourned till Monday.

“We welcome the decisions taken by the United States to ease controls on exports of dual use items and technologies to India,” Krishna said. These measures include removing Indian entities from its so-called Entity List, realignment of India in US export control regulations, as well the intention of the United States to support India’s full membership in the multilateral export control regimes, he added.

Summing up outcome of Obama’s maiden visit to India, Krishna stressed that the India-US relationship was “an important factor for peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world”.

He added that the “India-US relationship stands on its own merits and is not directed against any other country”.

“President Obama’s visit was a milestone in the process of strengthening the strategic partnership between the world’s two largest democracies and in bringing our two peoples closer together,” he said.

Krishna also made a separate suo moto statement in the Lok Sabha on recent overseas trips by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam and South Korea.