New Delhi, April 10 (Inditop.com) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday left for the US and Brazil to attend a nuclear and two multilateral summits during which he will hold talks with the leaders of the US, China, Russia and France.
The prime minister’s special aircraft took off from the Indian Air Force station here at 9.40 a.m.
Manmohan Singh will first attend the Nuclear Security Summit hosted by Obama in Washington. In Brasilia, he will take part in the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) and Brazil-Russia-India-China (BRIC) Summits hosted by President Lula da Silva.
In Washington, the Indian leader will meet Presidents Barack Obama of the US, Nursultan Nazarbaev of Kazakhstan and Nicolas Sarkozy of France, Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada and other world leaders.
In Brasilia, he will have bilateral meetings with Presidents Lula da Silva of Brazil, Hu Jintao of China and Dmitry Medvedev of Russia.
In a departure statement released late Friday, Singh said India was a “major stakeholder” in addressing issues related to nuclear security.
“I expect the summit to focus on nuclear terrorism and proliferation of sensitive nuclear materials and technologies. These are legitimate concerns which require firm responses,” he said.
“India has a well-developed indigenous nuclear energy programme, which dates back six decades. We have an impeccable record of security, safety and non-proliferation which reflects our conduct as a responsible nuclear power.”
He said India had been a consistent advocate of complete and universal global nuclear disarmament.
“We were among the first countries to call for a world free of nuclear weapons. I am encouraged that this approach is finding greater resonance today.
“Nuclear energy is poised to play a growing role in addressing the developmental challenges of our times.
“This will be possible only if we, as individual nations, and as a global community ensure the highest standards of security which reinforce public faith in the benefits of nuclear science.”
He said India was “an important stakeholder in this global endeavour”.
Manmohan Singh described the IBSA and BRIC as “groupings (that) reflect the growing role of emerging economies in shaping the global economic order”.
He said the IBSA “encompasses a wide range of activities which supplement the excellent bilateral relations we enjoy with each of these countries. Our coordination on important international issues has expanded, and our trilateral cooperation is beginning to bear fruit in many sectors.
“The BRIC countries are among the largest and fastest growing economies with rich human and material resources. They represent the future of the global economic landscape.
“We have a high stake in the revival of the global economy, an open trading system, energy security, combating climate change and addressing non-traditional threats to international security.
“Relations with Brazil are an important pillar of our policy towards Latin America and have witnessed substantial expansion in recent years.”
