The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United States President-Elect Joe Biden will speak to each other at a “mutually convenient time”. Anurag Srivastava, the official spokesperson of the foreign ministry, said that India’s ties with America were based on bipartisan support.
Biden defeated incumbent President Donald Trump and was declared the winner by US media organisations on November 7 after he appeared to win enough states to garner a majority of the Electoral College votes. However, Trump has filed a flurry of lawsuits in the last few days to challenge the outcome and has refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power.
At an online media briefing, Srivastava said the prime minister had congratulated Biden through a tweet on November 8 and appreciated the former American vice president’s contribution to strengthening India and US relations. “Prime Minister Modi had also conveyed that he looks forward to working with him to take India-US relations to greater heights,” he added.
Modi noted Biden’s “critical and invaluable” contribution to strengthening the India-US relations as vice president. Modi, in his tweets, also congratulated Vice President-elect Kamala Harris for her victory and said her success was a matter of immense pride for all Indian-Americans.
Asked when will the two political leaders speak with each other, the spokesperson said it will happen in “due course at a mutually convenient time”.
Srivastava also said the foundation of India and US relationship is “very strong”, and that the comprehensive global strategic partnership between the two countries has bipartisan support in the United States. “It has been seen that successive presidents and administrations have deepened the ties,” he added.
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