Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be invited to address a joint session of Congress during his upcoming state visit in June at President Joe Biden's invitation, according to the bipartisan leadership of a group of US lawmakers focused on India.
Ro Khanna and Michael Waltz, two members of Congress, wrote a letter on Tuesday to Speaker Kevin McCarthy of the US House of Representatives, urging him to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give a joint address to Congress during his first state visit to the United States.
In their capacity as co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, Khanna and Waltz led the letter.
Following an invitation from President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, PM Modi will visit the United States on June 22.
"We respectfully request your consideration in inviting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a joint address to Congress, highlighting the significance of the US-India strategic partnership and the shared values upon which it is built," Khanna, Waltz wrote in their letter addressed to McCarthy.
The White House said on Tuesday that the visit of PM Modi to the US will be a potential chance to reaffirm the profound, close association between US and India.
PM Modi's visit "will be an opportunity to reaffirm the deep and close partnership between the United States and India and the warm bonds of the family and friendship that link America, Americans and clearly, Indians together. And so that's very important to the (US) President," said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre on PM Modi's state visit to the US.
The White House Press Secretary said the visit will likewise reinforce the US-India shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific and shared resolve to assess vital innovation organisation, remembering for protection, clean energy and space.
"As State Dinners have come to signify the President's utmost respect for visiting heads of state, granting a joint address to Congress is a commensurate honour for the leader of the world's largest democracy and perhaps the most critical partner to countering China in the 21st century," Khanna and Waltz wrote in the letter.
According to the letter, the shared commitment to democracy and the upholding of an international system based on rules are the foundations of the partnership between the US and India.
The letter further read: "With mutual interests in promoting global security, stability, and economic prosperity through trade, investment, and connectivity, the United States and India have forged a deep bond. The recent in-person bilateral meetings between President Biden and Prime Minister Modi have reaffirmed our dedication to a resilient international order that safeguards the sovereignty, upholds democratic values, and promotes peace and prosperity for all."
"Furthermore, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, involving the United States, India, Japan, and Australia, has provided a platform for our countries to engage in meaningful discussions on shared regional and global security interests. The United States recognizes and supports India's emergence as a leading global power and a vital partner in safeguarding the Indo-Pacific region as a place of peace, stability, and growing prosperity," the letter by the two US Congressmen read.
The letter said the US and India have laid out participation in different fields through discourses like the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, and these exchanges cover a large number of regions, for example, space, health, energy, counterterrorism, climate action, cybersecurity, education, trade policies, defence, and counternarcotics efforts.
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