India, US can solve any problem working together says Barack Obama at HT Leadership Summit
New Delhi, December 1: India and United States can solve any problem working together. This was said by former US president Barack Obama while addressing at the 15th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi on Friday.
While laying out a four-point agenda for a better and more inclusive world, US former President Barack Obama said, “There is no problem that can’t be solved if India and the United States work together.” Obama also stressed the importance of technology and diplomacy while making a pitch for nations to “work together in multilateral fashions”. “The US and India can’t solve the problems alone,” he added.
The 44th US president, who held office between 2009 and 2017 said, “India needs to cherish and nurture its Muslim population that is integrated and considers itself Indian.” “It is an idea that needs to be reinforced,” Obama added. Obama further stated that he had emphasized the need for religious tolerance and the right to practice one’s own faith during closed-door talks with PM Modi during his last trip to India in 2015.
Obama also praised PM Modi for the part he played in reaching the Paris climate accord. Though there was “a little bit of a pause in American leadership”, the climate accord was a great achievement, he noted. However, he did not mention US President Donald Trump who decided to walk out of the accord that aims to curb global warming.
While answering a question on terrorism emerging from Pakistan, Obama said, “We had no evidence that Pakistan was aware of Osama bin Laden’s presence there but that is something obviously we looked at.” Obama also called for an open mind in consuming information, saying “we consume information that suits our biases” and it posed a threat to democracy.
Obama during his address at Hindustan Times Leadership Summit gave four suggestions are as follows: Nations have to acknowledge automation and the value of people, they have to work together in multilateral fashions, diplomacy still matters and people have to be aware of the way technology is changing how people consume information.
“Invest in people. Skill them, educate them. Empower them to start their own business,” Obama said while talking about “unprecedented pace” of automation. He further called for an open mind in consuming information, saying he “we consume information that suits our biases” and it posed a threat to democracy. Obama who is leading an effort to promote people’s involvement in civic matter, in the end, said his Foundation was not just focusing on tackling issues but also training the next generation of people.