(Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday congratulated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his National Democratic Alliance on their election victory to form a new government for a third consecutive term, and Washington said it looked forward to further cooperation to build a new government. to guarantee a free Indian government. Pacific region.
“The friendship between our nations only grows as we unlock a shared future with limitless potential,” Biden said in a post on social media platform X.
A separate statement from the US State Department said Washington looks forward to “continuing our partnership with the Government of India to promote prosperity and innovation, address the climate crisis, and ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region. ”
The United States and India have deepened ties in recent years over shared concerns about China’s growing power, even as New Delhi has maintained its longstanding relationship with Russia despite the war in Ukraine and human rights issues.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on Tuesday called the US-India relationship “a great partnership,” although the US had human rights concerns that it would continue to raise openly with New Delhi.
Ties have been tested by the discovery of assassination plots against Sikh nationalists in Canada and the United States. In November, U.S. authorities said an Indian government official had led the plot to attempt the assassination of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist and dual citizen of the United States and Canada.
Last month, the US ambassador to India said Washington was satisfied with India’s steps so far to ensure accountability for the alleged plots, but that many steps were still needed, and there must be consequences for what a ‘ red line for America’.
Political analysts say Washington is reluctant to publicly criticize Modi because it hopes India will act as a counterbalance to expansionist China.
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Editing by Katharine Jackson)
