President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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The visit, two years after Modi became prime minister, capped an improving relationship between New Delhi and the United States.
The former Illinois Republican congressman, who resigned a year ago amid an investigation into his financial dealings, was seen on the House floor chatting with old colleagues, including Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers, R-Washington.
Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his leadership, Ed Royce, the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on Wednesday said Washington is witnessing reforms introduced by the Prime Minister in India.
During a joint meeting Tuesday, Obama and Modi announced that India would work closely with the United States to join the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Modi is likely to find more bipartisan support in the area of nuclear and defense trading.
Diplomats with direct knowledge of the matter said a deadline for members of the 34-nation group to object to India’s admission had expired on Monday without any members raising objections. The two governments said that U.S.-based Westinghouse Electric Co is preparing to build six nuclear reactors in India, but it has yet to finalize a contract. Since then, he has visited the US four times.
The joint statement described an emerging defence partnership, aimed at China, saying “The US and India should look to each other as priority partners in the Asia-Pacific and the Indian Ocean region”.
But the overall response from lawmakers of both parties was positive.
He also found fault with the delay in appointment of judges despite an emotional appeal by the Chief Justice of India, and called it an attempt to fill the judiciary with the party’s yes-men. There’s been some easing of foreign investment restrictions, and trade has grown at a fair clip in recent years, but lawmakers have complained about continuing bureaucratic hurdles and investment limits and over the halting pace of liberalization in India. Although it’s shadow is spreading across the world, it is incubated in India’s neighbourhood, he said an apparent reference to Pakistan.
At his meeting with Obama, the two leaders consolidated strong bilateral ties but fell short of major outcomes.
Underscoring that both India and the United States share the vision of peace and prosperity of the world, the Prime Minister said globally, terrorism remains the biggest threat and it must be fought at many levels as the traditional tools of military, intelligence or diplomacy alone would not be able to win defeat it.
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The last Indian prime minister to address Congress was Modi’s predecessor, Manmohan Singh, in 2005.
