Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will leave on Wednesday on a visit to the US during which he will hold talks with President Barack Obama and attend UN General Assembly, besides having a possible meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif.
Implementation of the civil nuclear deal, ways to expand cooperation in the fields of defence, security and economic issues will be high on the agenda of the meeting between Singh and Obama in Washington on September 27.
Some pacts, including a contract between Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and US firm Westinghouse, are expected to be signed. At the Summit meeting with Obama, their third since 2009, Singh is expected to flag concerns over the proposed changes in US visa norms which would affect the highly-skilled IT professionals from India.
Situation in this region, including Afghanistan after withdrawal of US-led forces next year, besides global issues like Syria are also expected to figure in the talks. The two leaders are likely to discuss ways to give a push to the cooperation in civil nuclear and defence fields, which are the "pillars" of the relationship.
In the defence field, they are expected to also look at ways to convert the buyer-seller relationship into joint design, development and production. The US recently said it wants to replicate Russia and jointly build defence systems like Brahmos with India. In the area of security, the two sides will discuss ways for cooperation in securing airports and ports.
During the week-long visit, Singh will travel from Washington to New York to address the UNGA. On its sidelines, there is a possibility of a meeting between Singh and Sharif. Singh is also expected to meet Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and some other foreign leaders.
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