'Known you for a long time,' says Biden, PM Modi praises US Prez's vision
The bilateral meeting started with a warm note as Biden said four million Indian Americans are making America stronger every day.
The crucial bilateral meeting between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi commenced on a warm note as both acknowledged the deep ties that the countries share. Both Joe Biden and PM Modi commented that they met each other before and had the opportunity to exchange ideas before. Biden said that he knows PM Modi for a long time and the first in-person meeting between the duo as US President and Indian Prime Minister will begin a new chapter in the Indo-US relationships.
"Today we begin a new chapter in Indo-US relationships. Four million Indian Americans are making America stronger every day," Biden said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had the opportunity to exchange ideas with Joe Biden in 2014 and 2016.
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"In 2014 and 2016, I got an opportunity to talk to you. You had shared your vision for Indo-US relations. Those visions were inspiring. Now you are implementing those visions as the president," PM Modi said.
“We are meeting at the start of the third decade of this century. Your leadership will certainly play an important role in how this decade is shaped. The seeds have been sown for an even stronger friendship between India and the US,” PM Modi added.
"I've long believed that US-India relationship can help us solve a lot of global challenges. In fact back in 2006 when I was the Vice President, I said that by 2020 India and theUS will be among the closest nations in the world," Biden said.
The recent development in Afghanistan and China's interest in Afghanistan will play a major role in the US-India relationship. Hence, the timing of the bilateral talks is crucial.
As both Biden and PM Modi heaped praises on each other, PM Modi said trade and technology will be the driving forces of India-US relationships. “Trade holds importance on its own between India and the US. In this decade, we can be complementary to each other. There are many things with the US, that are needed by India and many things with India that can be useful for the US. Trade will be a major sector in this decade,” PM Modi said.