“India and the U.S. should expand their collaborations at a global level and work jointly together to address range of issues like poverty, child deaths, food security, conservation of natural resources and international peace,” Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and U.S. President Barack Obama said in a joint statement following an hour-long meeting at the White House and a luncheon last week, the Press Trust of India/Business Standard reports. “Building on ongoing consultations between India and the U.S. on East, Central and West Asia, and the trilateral dialogue mechanisms with Afghanistan and Japan respectively, Obama and Singh agreed to expand their consultations to include a dialogue on the Indian Ocean region, to deepen coordination on cross-cutting issues including maritime security and conservation of natural resources, the joint statement said,” according to the news service, which notes, “The two leaders resolved to work together to end extreme poverty, including through expanding efforts to end preventable child deaths through the ‘Child Survival Call to Action.'” The news service adds, “According to the statement, Singh and Obama recognized that increased cooperation in these areas will strengthen the U.S.-India strategic partnership, highlighting shared democratic values and the capabilities the two countries have to work together across Asia and around the globe” (9/28).