It's a "unique opportunity to bring together all the threads of our cooperation that constitute the extraordinarily rich tapestry of our relationship," said External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna at the opening session of the third annual dialogue he co-chaired with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"In the process of our engagement, we have built something more precious -- friendship, goodwill, trust, mutual confidence, candour, and belief in the importance of a successful partnership," he said.