Lucknow: India has gained importance in the eyes of America, Member of International Advisory Council of the US Institute of Peace Frank Islam said on Friday.
President Barack Obama’s visit is part of the ongoing process of creating a new bilateral collaborative agenda, said the recipient of prestigious Martin Luther King award.
Obama’s visit provides a chance to put some flesh on the bones of bilateral partnership by addressing issues like trade subsidies, intellectual property rights, business deals and ‘Make in India’, he said.
“President Obama’s visit is special. It is not about symbolism but is substantive in nature. It is part of the ongoing process of creating a new collaborative agenda between these two great nations for the 21st century,” he said.
Islam, an Indian-American entrepreneur who belongs to Azamgarh district of UP, said through e-mail India gained importance in the eyes of America.
“The shared democratic and free market economic values of these two countries are now being recognised, both by the American government and American businesses,” he said.
If the right agenda is prepared for the future in terms of trade and exchange programmes, India will become even more prominent, he said.
Citing difference in the approach of the Modi government and the one headed by his predecessor Manmohan Singh, Islam said, “There are two primary things which are immediately apparent. The first is the business friendly and welcoming approach of Modi which is resonating in the US as opposed to the hands-off style of the previous administration.
 “The second is the almost universal enthusiasm, optimism and positive expectations that Modi’s ‘can-do attitude’ has created among Indian people. I saw and was excited by this energy of the public during a recent trip to India as part of a study tour delegation of the Brookings Institution,” the former member of Advisory Committee of the Export-Import Bank of the US said.
(With inputs from PTI)