India has stake in Afghanistan, Singh says

WASHINGTON, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- New Delhi understands peace and development in Afghanistan will bring longstanding benefits to the region, the Indian prime minister said in Washington.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived in Washington this week to meet with President Barack Obama and other high-ranking officials to discuss energy, security and other bilateral matters.

His visit comes as Washington inches closer to revealing its long-awaited revised strategy for the war in Afghanistan. India, for its part, is bracing itself for the one-year anniversary Thursday of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai that killed more than 150 people.

Singh said progress for Afghanistan translated to broader security benefits for the entire Asian region.

"We have a shared interest in promoting prosperity and stability in the Asia Pacific region," he said." We have a common stake in peace and development in Afghanistan and in defeating terrorism in South Asia and beyond."

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, meanwhile, said strengthening bilateral relations with New Delhi would translate to a united front to address regional threats.

"Well increasingly now we recognize our partnership and expand it to how we can deal with the relationships that both of us together can make a positive impact on and influence the world, and I literally mean that, influence the world," he said.