President Obama is coming - to keep his date with Delhi, again! And as the capital city, all decked up and secure like a fortress, waits for the Air Force One to land on Indian soil, the air is heavy with buzz over the significantly symbolic 'Obama in India' event.
But will Obama's presence as the Chief Guest at India's Republic Day – a first ever by a US President – be confined to being all about gestures? Or will it be a watershed moment that will re-script the story of US-India bilateral bonhomie. Will it be just a smile here and a handshake there – or will these pleasantries dovetail with solid “deliverables” on paper and ground.
Obama's India trip, no doubt, holds colossal significance and a plethora of issues that will be on agenda when the two leaders sit down to talk. Though both the nations have remained taciturn over key topics on agenda when the Presidents of the world's oldest and largest democracies sit down to talk; US Secretary of State John Kerry who attended Vibrant Gujarat Summit earlier this month, highlighted four key areas of focus: defence, climate change, civil nuclear cooperation and economic partnership.
Other than the above mentioned issues, the two leaders may also discuss issues like counter-terrorism, renewable energy, intellectual property rights, etc.
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