Obama congratulates Modi; invites him to visit US
President Barack Obama on Friday night congratulated Narendra Modi for his electoral victory during a telephone call and invited him to visit the U.S. to further strengthen bilateral ties.
“The President invited Narendra Modi to visit Washington at a mutually
agreeable time to further strengthen our bilateral relationship,” the
White House said following the maiden telephonic conversation between
the two leaders.
The phone call was stated to be brief.
Mr. Modi, during his U.S. visit would be eligible for an A-1 visa, State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said.
“The Prime Minister of India will be welcomed to the United States. As
Head of Government, Mr. Modi would be eligible for an A-1 visa,” she
said.
In 2005, the U.S. State Department had revoked a visa that Mr. Modi had
for travelling to the U.S. on the ground of alleged human rights
violations after the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The U.S. has repeatedly said there is no change in its long-standing
visa policy relating to Mr. Modi but he is free to apply for a visa and
await a review like any other applicant.
During the call, Mr. Obama felicitated Mr. Modi on the BJP’s success in India’s historic election.
“The President noted he looks forward to working closely with Mr. Modi
to fulfil the extraordinary promise of the US-India strategic
partnership and they agreed to continue expanding and deepening the
wide-ranging cooperation between our two democracies,” the White House
said.
Soon after the call, National Security Advisor Susan Rice wrote on
Twitter -- the micro blogging site -- that the U.S. looks forward to
working with India to continue to build a strong partnership between the
two largest democracies of the world.
“We congratulate Narendra Modi and the BJP on its victory in winning a
majority of seats in India’s historic national election, which saw more
voters cast their ballots freely and fairly than in any election in
human history,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters.
Secretary of State John Kerry offered his congratulations through
twitter and said that he looks forward to working with the BJP on
expanding their shared prosperity and security.
State Department Spokesperson said, “Once a new government is formed, we
look forward to working closely with the Prime Minister and the Cabinet
to advance our strong bilateral partnership.”
“As President Obama said in his statement on May 12, we also
congratulate the people of India on concluding their national elections
and look forward to continuing our strong partnership based on shared
values,” the spokesperson said.
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