New Delhi: Saying both India and the US are determined to defeat the “scourge” of terrorism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that “the logic of our strategic relationship is incontrovertible”.
Modi, ahead of his meeting with President Donald Trump, also said in comments published in The Wall Street Journal that he expected bilateral ties in the next few decades to be “an even more remarkable story of ambitious horizons, convergent action and shared growth”.
“The past two decades have been a productive journey of engagement for our mutual security and growth. I expect the next few decades to be an even more remarkable story of ambitious horizons, convergent action and shared growth.
Modi recalled how he told the US Congress in June 2016 that the bilateral relationship had overcome the “hesitations of history”. “A year later, I return to the US confident in the growing convergence between our two nations. “This confidence stems from the strength of our shared values and the stability of our systems. Our people and institutions have steadfastly viewed democratic change as an instrument for renewal and resurgence.”He said the two countries stand as mutually reinforcing engines of growth and innovation in an uncertain global economic landscape.
“Confidence in each other’s political values and a strong belief in each other’s prosperity has enabled our engagement to grow.”
Saying defence was another mutually beneficial sphere of their partnership, Modi said both India and the US had an overriding interest “in securing our societies, and the world, from the forces of terrorism, radical ideologies and non-traditional security threats.
“India has four decades’ experience in fighting terrorism, and we share the US administration’s determination to defeat this scourge.”
The two countries, he said, were working together to address the existing and emerging strategic and security challenges that affect them in Afghanistan, West Asia, the large maritime space of the Indo-Pacific and the new and unanticipated threats in cyberspace.
“We also share an interest in ensuring that sea lanes – critical lifelines of trade and energy – remain secure and open to all,” Modi said, without referring to the South China Sea by name.
Eid greetings
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday greeted the nation on Eid and wished that it brings peace and brotherhood in society.
Eid-ul-Fitr, which marks culmination of the fasting month of Ramzan, is being celebrated today. “Eid-ul-Fitr greetings! May this auspicious day further the spirit of peace and brotherhood in our society,” he said in a tweet.
Modi had on Sunday said that inspiration should be drawn from such pious festivals to spread happiness and to take the nation forward. (PTI)
