U.S. President Joe Biden respects and values the successful bipartisan relationship the country has with India, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has said.
“President Biden, who, of course, has visited India many times, respects and values the long, bipartisan, successful relationship between leaders in India and the United States. He looks forward to a continuation of that,” Ms. Psaki told reporters in the White House Press Briefing room on Thursday evening.
Mr. Biden visited India in 2008 – the year the U.S. Congress approved the civil nuclear deal between the two countries. As Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he played a key role in pushing the deal through. During the presidential campaign last year, this was a focus of the messaging targeting Indian American voters.
In 2013, Mr. Biden visited India again – this time as Vice-President. In 2014, he chaired a joint session of the U.S. Congress that Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed.
Ms. Psaki’s comments on Thursday also referred to the Indian-origin of Kamala Harris , the country’s new Vice President.
“Obviously, he selected – and yesterday she was sworn in – the first Indian-American to serve as Vice President, a historic moment for all of us in this country, but a further… cementing of the importance of our relationship,” she said.
