US President expresses desire to work closely with Prime Minister
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accepted a “formal invitation” from President Barack Obama to visit the United States of America. Modi will be visiting the US for strategic dialogue talks in September.
US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns on Friday delivered the invitation letter to Modi. In the letter, Obama has expressed the desire to work closely with Modi in order to make India-US relations a defining partnership for the 21st century. Modi responded by saying he is looking forward to a “result-oriented visit with concrete outcomes that imparts new momentum and energy to the Indo-US strategic partnership.”
Obama had earlier invited Modi to the US during a telephonic conversation in May while congratulating him on his win in the general elections. On Friday, during a conversation with Burns, Modi recalled Obama’s telephone call and expressed his appreciation for his “detailed and thoughtful letter.” Modi was of the view that re-energising the partnership between India and the US would send an important message to the region and beyond.
“Prime Minister Modi has won a very strong mandate to reinvigorate India’s development and its rise on the world stage. America has a deep stake in India’s success, and in Prime Minister Modi’s success,” Burns had said on Thursday.
“I know that President Obama looks forward to the Prime Minister’s visit to the White House at the end of September. That will be a very valuable opportunity to renew the strategic partnership between our two countries. It’s an opportunity to renew our mutual determination to spur economic growth in both of our countries,” Burns added.
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh, US Chargé d’Affaires Kathleen Stephens, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Nisha Biswal were also present during the meeting between Modi and Burns.
On a question whether the topic of snooping came up during Burns’ meeting with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley or Ajit Doval, Burns said the US Government is confining those discussions to diplomatic channels right now. “We understand the concerns that have been raised and we’ll deal with them professionally. But we also want to look ahead,” Burns said.
Indo-US relationship faced some strain after the arrest of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade in New York last December, over charges of visa fraud. The US had in 2005 denied Modi a visa citing the 2002 riots in Gujarat as the reason behind the decision. However, in May this year, Obama was one of the first few global leaders to call up Modi congratulating him on his “emphatic election victory.”