By Smita Prakash

Washington, Nov.25 (ANI): India and the United States inked several agreements/memoranda of understanding with the aim of taking the bilateral strategic partnership forward. Following is the list of agreements signed:

. Both countries signed an “MoU to Enhance Cooperation on Energy Security , Energy Efficiency , Clean Energy and Climate Change”. The bilateral document was signed by External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the US State Department.

The MoU would strengthen and intensify India-US collaboration on energy security, clean energy and climate change and bring together joint ideas on energy efficiency, renewable energy and green technologies to stimulate India-US Energy dialogue and the India-US bilateral dialogue on Global Climate Change, a new framework announcedon 20 July 2009.

It would allow the two countries to share their experiences and best practices as they both try to diversify their energy mix. The MoU would help to expand current partnerships for promoting sustainable growth, innovation, application of lternative fuels and clean energy and capacity building for deployment of adaptable, affordable and climate friendly technologies in both countries.

The MoU envisages setting up an India-US Clean Energy Research and Deployment Initiative, including a Joint Research Center to foster innovation and joint efforts to accelerate deployment of clean energytechnologies.

.The two sides also initialed an MoU on Agricultural Cooperation and Food Security and an India-US Conterterrorism Cooperation Initiative today. The MoU on Agricultural Cooperation and Food Security was initialed by Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Indian Planning Commission, and US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Cooperation in the field of agriculture between India and the US is a key agenda of the India-US Strategic Dialogue announced on 20 July 2009.

The MoU would help the two countries to expand current partnership in the field of agriculture and further joint initiatives for promoting sustainable agricultural development, food security, and for increasing the application of knowledge, innovation and capacity building in the two countries and globally.

Cooperation in the field of agriculture with the United States could be leveraged to strengthen agricultural productivity, and agro based R and D in India.

. The India-US Counterterrorism Cooperation Initiative was initialed by India’s Ambassador to the USA Meera Shankar and her American counterpart to India Timothy Roemer.India and the US have strong cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism. Post Mumbai attack, bilateral collaboration on counter-terrorism has increased substantially. India and the US recognize terrorism as one of the biggest threats to world security and have reaffirmed the determination to fight the evil in all itsforms and manifestations. (ANI)