US President Barack Obama “certainly does respect Prime Minister Modi and has appreciation for his skills and abilities as a politician,” the White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Wednesday when asked about the relationship between the two leaders. “He also is somebody who is given the very difficult challenge of sitting atop the world’s largest democracy — that’s not easy work, and the President of the United States has special insight into how difficult it is.”
White House has heaped high praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he has a clear understanding of the India-US relationship and a clear vision for where he wants to take his country.
Obama, who met the Indian Prime Minister for the sixth time in Paris during the climate change summit, has found “Modi to be somebody who is honest and direct,” he said. He is “somebody who has good command of the facts; somebody who has a clear understanding of the issues that confront his country and our relationship,” Earnest said.
“He is also somebody that has a clear vision for where he wants to take his country. And that makes him not just an effective politician but an effective Prime Minister.”
Earnest noted that Obama “has had the opportunity to consult with Prime Minister Modi on a number of occasions.”
“And I think that isn’t just a testament to their good working relationship — it actually is a testament to the important issues that are at stake between our two countries.”