New Delhi, Prime Minster Narendra Modi voiced his appreciation for US President Donald Trump’s policies on South Asia and the Indo-Pacific region when US Permanent Representative to the UN Nikki Haley called on him here on Wednesday.
“The Prime Minister expressed appreciation for President Trump’s South Asia and Indo-Pacific strategies and commended his initiative for denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement following the meeting.
Trump announced a new strategy for South Asia last year which envisages a significant role for India in the reconstruction and capacity building of war-ravaged Afghanistan.
India and the US, along with Japan and Australia, are also part of the quad revived late last year that seeks to work for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
According to the statement, Haley, the first person of Indian descent to hold a cabinet-level position in the US, noted the deepening relations between India and the US particularly in strategic and defence sectors.
“Both the dignitaries discussed ways to enhance India-US cooperation including on counter-terrorism and in multilateral fora.
“They expressed confidence that the strong India-US partnership will continue to be an important factor for global peace and prosperity.”
After calling on Modi, Haley held a meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
“Good discussion to deepen our strategic partnership and strengthen our ongoing cooperation at the United Nations,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted along with a picture of Sushma Swaraj and Haley warmly hugging each other.
Earlier on Wednesday, Haley said she is here to strengthen bilateral relations and to continue the democratic bonds.
“I am here to once again solidify our love for India, our belief in the friendship that India and the US have and our willingness to make that relation even stronger,” Haley said during a visit to the Humayun’s tomb here.
Mentioning that there were multiple levels of opportunities between the two countries, Haley said India and the US shared the value of freedom.
“Whether it is countering terrorism, whether it is the fact that we want to continue our democratic opportunities, or start to work together more strongly on the military aspect, there are lots of things that India and the US have in common,” she said.
Haley arrived here on Tuesday on a three-day visit in what is her first trip to India after being appointed as the US Ambassador to the UN.
