The US has said its relationship with India is expected to grow on a very promising trajectory both in the near future and over the long term. Assistant Secretary of State forSouth and Central Asia, Robert Blake said in Washington that the the focus of this relationship will be on counter-terrorism cooperation, climate change, civil nuclear energy and rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan. He said, President Obama has called India an indispensable partner and said that the relations with India will be one of the defining partnerships for the United States in the 21st century. Blake noted that Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wanted to elevate the US relationship with India by establishing a Strategic Dialogue which convened for the first time last month in Washington. Referring to the growing Indo-US relationship, Blake recalled that in the area of strategic cooperation, the US reached an agreement with India on nuclear reprocessing six months ahead of schedule. Clinton has welcomed India's contributions to Afghan reconstruction, capacity building and development efforts and its offer to enhance these efforts. Noting that military-to-military relations are burgeoning, Blake said the Indian military holds more bilateral exercises with the United States than any other nation.