Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Monday, 8 February, saying he spoke to US President Joe Biden and discussed regional issues and their shared priorities.
"President Joe Biden and I are committed to a rules-based international order. We look forward to consolidating our strategic partnership to further peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond." PM Modi tweeted.
PM Modi also congratulated President Biden for his tenure and welcomed him and First lady Dr Jill Biden to make a visit to India.
The two countries will work closely to address the COVID-19 pandemic, fight against global terrorism and rebuild the economy to benefit the citizens of both countries, the White House stated.
The two leaders talked about climate change, with PM Modi welcoming President Biden’s re-commitment to the Paris Agreement.
PM Modi is committed to India’s participation in the Climate Leaders summit in April, organised by the US President, noted the Ministry of External Affairs. Modi also discussed India’s target in renewable energy.
The leaders agreed to closely cooperate to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, and discussed regional developments at length.
The leaders noted that a “shared commitment to democratic values is the bedrock for the US-India relationship,” according to the White House.
The leaders agreed to keep their communication lines open to discuss a range of global challenges, and said they were looking forward to strengthen India-US strategic ties together.
Modi's conversation with Biden comes amid massive protests by farmers in India that have evoked reactions globally, including by the US State Department.
Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States on 20 January, with Kamala Harris taking oath as the Vice President. At the time, PM Modi had congratulated him and tweeted, "We stand united and resilient in addressing common challenges."
The aftermath of the US Presidential election in November 2020 was dominated by Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, peddling conspiracy theories of electoral fraud and the election being 'stolen' from him. The deep political divide in the country culminated in the storming of US Capitol building by a mob of Trump supporters on 6 January.
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