The first meeting of the ORF-Pacific Council Task Force on India-US Relations was held at Jamnagar on March 18-19, 2004.
The first meeting of the ORF-Pacific Council Task Force on India-US Relations was held at Jamnagar on March 18-19, 2004. The first such joint Task Force, it is a Track II initiative between ORF, India's first multi-disciplinary think tank in the corporate sector and the Pacific Council a leadership forum based at Los Angeles and rooted in the American West. The task force is jointly chaired by Amb. Abid Hussain, former Indian ambassador to the US and Amb. Richard Celeste, former US ambassador to India and comprises eminent Indian and American experts and scholars.
In four sessions over two days the task force discussed ongoing issues of importance between the two countries, with special reference to the Asia Pacific region, and the measures necessary to further enhance the scope and level of the India-US strategic partnership. The deliberations began by taking stock of the current bilateral environment. The discussions included the emerging trends in external and internal policies, bilateral interests in economy, trade and commerce issues and cooperation in the energy and agricultural sectors. Science and technology issues, intellectual property rights, synergy in the entertainment industry, and the contribution of the Indian Diaspora were also discussed.
The conference was addressed by Mr. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of the Reliance Group. He emphasized the need for greater technological cooperation if India's Vision 2020 is to be achieved and highlighted several examples of US-India cooperation in the private sector in general and Reliance Industries Limited in particular.
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