Last Updated: June 21, 2023, 10:37 IST
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
PM Modi’s visit from June 22 assumes significance because none of his visits earlier to the US were classified as a ‘state visit’. (Reuters)
The White House said PM Modi’s visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between US and India and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together
India matters significantly to US President Joe Biden and to the US administration and not just in South Asia but truly globally, the White House said on Tuesday amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s State Visit.
National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby also said India like the US is a vibrant democracy and the two nations are going to continue to work on their bilateral relationship.
“In President Biden’s mind, India is not a second-tier anything. India matters significantly to President Biden and to this administration, and not just in South Asia or the Indo-Pacific region but truly globally,” Kirby told reporters.
“That doesn’t mean that – democracy is tough. We know that. We’ve seen it firsthand here in this country. It’s tough; you’ve got to work at it. And India has a vibrant democracy, and they, too, work at it. No democracy at any given point in time reaches perfection,” he further said.
PM Modi is in the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, who will host him at a State Dinner on June 22. The visit also includes an address by the prime minister to the joint session of the US Congress on June 22.
Modi’s visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between the United States and India and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together, the White House said.
“The visit will strengthen our two countries’ shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific and our shared resolve to elevate our strategic technology partnership, including in defense, clean energy, and space,” Kirby said.
He also said India will be a critical strategic partner for the United States in the coming decades.
“India’s growing commitment to playing a more engaged international role, including in the Indo-Pacific Quad, demonstrates a new and growing willingness to join the United States to protect and advance a shared vision of a free, open, and rules-based global order,” he further said.
John Kirby said that the US is excited about Modi’s visit and added that the bilateral relationship has deepened in the last two and a half years.
“We are very excited about this visit and about deepening and improving this bilateral relationship. And we wouldn’t have – President Biden wouldn’t have invited Prime Minister Modi if he wasn’t strong and confident in the manner in which this bilateral relationship truly has deepened in the last two and a half years,” he added.
