India is a major foreign policy priority for the United States: Burns

New Delhi, June 10 (ANI): US Under Secretary of State William Burns on Wednesday said that the United States of America considers India as a major foreign policy priority.

Talking to media after his meet with External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna on Wednesday, Burns said that the U.S President Barack Obama sent him with a personal message highlighting India as a crucial strategic partner for the United States.

"President Obama and Secretary Clinton have sent me here to India with a very straight forward message-India is a major foreign policy priority for the United States. We consider India to be a crucial global partner for the United States in the 21st century. I had an excellent series of meetings today with the Foreign Secretary Menon, with Home Affairs Minister and most recently with Mr. Krishna. I look forward to another productive day of meetings tomorrow as we ... together an ambitious bilateral agenda for the next phase in the strategic between the two countries," said William Burns.

Burns also noted that both the US and India have come a long way since the signing of the civil nuclear deal and would do a lot more together.

"We have come a long way together in recent years including and particular the civil-nuclear agreement which was a very significant accomplishment but I am convinced that there is great deal more that we can do together," Burns added.

Burns' four-day visit to India is the first by any senior US official since re-election of the Dr. Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre in the country.

The current visit of Burns is being viewed as a preparation for the planned visit of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in July. (ANI)