America honoured to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi, says US legislator

Washington: The US is honoured to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an influential US lawmaker has said on the House floor, stressing that the ties between India and America are deep rooted in democracy, freedom and rule of law. The Prime Minister would be on a three-day visit to the US, starting Wednesday, for a bilateral meeting with President Joe Biden and to attend the historic Quad summit. “Madam speaker, I rise today to recognise the important diplomatic partnership between the United States of America and the Republic of India”, Congressman Earl Buddy Carter said on the floor of the US House of Representatives. “Visits of our nation’s leaders are critical aspects of our relationships, and the United States is honoured to welcome Prime Minister Modi. The United States and India have deep rooted ties rooted in democracy, freedom and rule of law”, he said. Over the years, the two countries have increased their trade collaboration, he said, adding that it is an important component of the partnership. In 2019, trading goods and services reached USD 149 billion between India and the United States. “Increasing trade between the United States and India will result in greater prosperity for our people. It is vital the world’s largest democracy has a strong diplomatic partnership with the shining city we’ve been elected to represent. Madam Speaker, I thank the prime minister for being a friend of the United States”, Carter said. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, the Prime Minister is unlikely to address a major gathering of the community or a collective meeting of the corporate leaders. Instead, his meetings in Washington this time are expected to be short and at individual level or at the most in small groups. Modi is scheduled to travel to New York to address the UN General Assembly on Saturday. Earlier this week, the White House announced that Biden would host Modi at his official residence on Friday. Later, Biden and Modi would be joined by their counterparts from Australia and Japan for the first-ever in-person Quad Summit. A day earlier, US Vice President, Kamala Harris would meet the Prime Minister at the White House.