Prime Minister Manmohan Singh joined world leaders in felicitating Barack Obama on his re-election as U.S. President.
In a letter released on Wednesday, in which Dr. Singh sought to provide a personal touch by mentioning the U.S. President’s wife and children, the Prime Minister recalled their association over the past four years.
“Dear Mr. President, it gives me great pleasure to convey to you my warmest congratulations on your re-election as the President of the United States,” wrote Dr. Singh, and recalled that “over the last four years, consistent with our vision of a global strategic partnership between India and the United States, the ties between our two democracies have seen sustained growth. We have not only advanced cooperation across the full spectrum of our bilateral relationship, but also deepened our engagement in the pursuit of global peace, stability and prosperity.”
The Prime Minister said he had “no doubt that there is much more we can do together to further strengthen the India-U.S. partnership and thereby advance peace and stability, expand mutual economic opportunities, harness the potential of science and technology, innovation and higher education and empower our people to address global challenges.”
In a personal touch, usually absent in Dr. Singh’s congratulatory letters, he said his wife Gursharan Kaur joined him in wishing Mr. Obama and his wife Michelle, as well as daughters Malia and Sasha, good health, success and happiness as he prepared for a new term in office.
Separately, the Foreign Office pointed out that having developed extensive bilateral cooperation and partnership with the U.S., India looked forward to continuing to deepen and widen the engagement in the years ahead.