US President Barack Obama is committed to take the Indo-US ties to the next level and "now the stage is set to embark on what I term the third stage of our relationship," Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said at the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think-tank.
He said the foundation of this relationship, which has seen an upward movement in the last one decade, was laid by former president Bill Clinton while George W Bush took it to a new level by inking the landmark civil nuclear deal.
"The agreement not only provides a concrete platform for economic and technological cooperation between our two countries but also offers a basis for moving beyond one of our most serious barriers to political cooperation -- the status of India's nuclear programme," Steinberg said.
"Obama and Secretary Clinton are committed to expanding these opportunities," he said in the first major foreign policy speech on India by a top Obama administration official.
Steinberg hoped that India would work with the US to help in fighting terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan and in establishing peace and democracy in the two countries.
President Obama would set out the US strategy for the region in the coming weeks, Steinberg noted.
He also acknowledged India's efforts in the reconstruction of Afghanistan in recent years.
"As (the Pak) President (Asif Ali) Zardari and the Pakistani government take courageous steps needed to confront and eliminate extremists, India and the US must work together with all our international partners to support them and facilitate democracy," Steinberg said.
He said India has a "big stake" in success of democratic government in Pakistan and is playing a very important role in South Asia. "We encourage India to continue that," he added.
"I think it will be important for India to make clear that as Pakistan takes steps to deal with extremists on its own territory that India will be supportive of that," he said.
He said India should "look for ways to contribute to an overall environment which can then lead to further efforts to root out extremists. There is obviously a complex history between the two countries but we will encourage India to see that it has a big stake in the efforts that we will be advocating to work both with Afghanistan and Pakistan."
The Deputy Secretary of State also said as "India emerges as one of the world's leading economic and political powers, the central question is how the United States and India can work together to address the regional and global challenges."
As India approaches its national election in coming months, "we look forward towards developing a comprehensive agenda -- bilaterally, regionally and globally," he said.
The economic ties have played a major role in bringing the two countries together, he acknowledged. There are much more to be done in the future, like negotiating bilateral investment treaty, enforcement of intellectual property rights and opening avenues to the private sector, he added.
Underlining the US commitment to be a robust partner in developing civil nuclear energy, he said, "Our government has taken some of the steps to realise the 123 agreement. We both need to do more. We look forward to working with India to fulfil the promise of civil nuclear energy cooperation."
The central question facing India in coming years is how India defines itself in increasingly prominent role in global affairs, the top diplomat said.
"In 21st century, the emergence of India as a strong, stable, democratic and outwardly looking global player with global interest has the potential to advance and enhance the effect of this international system and security involving us all in a positive some game," he said.
