A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden spoke over the phone, the US said that it welcomes India's emergence as a leading global power in the region. "India is one of the most important partners in the Indo-Pacific region to us. We welcome India's emergence as a leading global power and its role as a net security provider in the region," State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said.
Earlier, Secretary of State Tony Blinken had spoken with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and they had discussed a plethora of topics including the Myanmar military coup.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken to US President Joe Biden on Monday, with the two leaders releasing a statement on the need to "ensure a rules-based international order and a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region".
In a tweet, PM Modi said that he conveyed his best wishes to the US president, and the two leaders discussed regional issues as well as shared priorities. "We also agreed to further our cooperation against climate change," he said. According to a PMO statement on the telephonic conversation, Modi warmly congratulated President Biden, conveyed best wishes for his tenure, and looked forward to working closely with him to further elevate the India-US Strategic Partnership.
Last month, Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. PM Modi was one of the few world leaders to have spoken with Biden soon after his electoral victory in November. “Prime Minister Modi spoke to president-elect Biden on 17 November in which the two leaders reiterated their firm commitment to bilateral strategic partnership and discussed shared priorities such as COVID-19 pandemic, energy and climate change, and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region,” Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Sandhu had said.
-Inputs from PTI
