Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US visit was “very successful” on many counts as he reached out to various interest groups in the US in unprecedented ways, according to a leading US think tank.
“On many counts this was a very successful visit,” Richard M. Rossow, the Wadhwani Chair in US-India Policy Studies at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) here, wrote in a commentary.
“The two sides reiterated past commitments and found new areas for cooperation,” he said. “Modi reached out to various interest groups here in the US in unprecedented ways.”
Though “some of the issues that have divided the two nations in recent years remain unresolved, overall, the revised agenda appears well balanced, with fewer ‘joint’ initiatives that are really just thinly disguised unilateral interests,” he wrote.
This approach should facilitate follow-through on both sides, Rossow wrote, noting four key highlights from the visit.
These, according to him, were a new willingness to collaborate on a wider set of global issues, US support for Modi’s economic goals, Modi’s “interesting attempt” to engage the American public directly and Modi’s new willingness to engage with business leaders directly.
“For a leader without national-level leadership experience, Modi has shown a deft hand at foreign policy,” Rossow said. “He is quite pragmatic and clearly on a mission to speed up India’s development.
“Holding grudges over past issues does not appear to be his style.
“He understands that the US can be a key partner in helping him meet his goals for the country – better infrastructure, more industrial development and domestic and regional security.”
According to Rossow, Modi made a concerted effort to engage four distinct groups while in the US: Government, Business, Indian-American Diaspora and American Public.
Earlier, a White House release said that US President Barack Obama was “very pleased” to meet India’s new Prime Minister Narendra Modi and values the opportunity to discuss a broad array of topics reflecting the depth of the strong ties between the world’s two largest democracies.
“The President was very pleased with the opportunity that he had to visit with Prime Minister Modi. It reflects that depth of the strong relationship between the United States and India that the two leaders were able to come together and discuss a broad array of topics,” White House Press Secretary, Josh Earnest, told reporters at a news conference. (Agencies)
