The US President Joe Biden on Sunday said he raised various issues, including respecting human rights, the role of civil society and free press during his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Delhi.
Biden made the remarks during a press conference in Vietnam, where he is on an official visit after attending the G20 Leaders' Summit in Delhi.
"As I always do, I raised the importance of respecting human rights, the vital role of civil society, and a free press and building a strong and prosperous country with Mr Modi. We got a lot of important work done," the US President said in Hanoi.
Meanwhile, in Hanoi, Biden said he held "substantial discussions" with Modi on ways to strengthen the India-US partnership, and thanked him for his leadership and hosting of the G20 Summit in Delhi.
Biden, who arrived in Delhi on his first visit to India as the US President, held wide-ranging talks with PM Modi. They vowed to "deepen and diversify" the bilateral major defence partnership while welcoming forward movement in India's procurement of 31 drones and joint development of jet engines.
"I want to once again thank PM Modi for his leadership and his hospitality and hosting the G20. He and I have had substantial discussions about how we're going to continue to strengthen the partnership between India and the US building on the Prime Minister's visit to the White House last June,” Biden said at the press conference.
The US President also talked about the "significant business" he had done in India during the G20 Summit.
"This was an important moment for the US to demonstrate our global leadership and our commitment to solving the challenges that matter most to people around the world. Investing in inclusive growth and sustainable development, addressing the climate crisis, strengthening food security and education, advancing global health and health security," Biden said.
"We showed the world the US is a partner with a positive vision for our shared future,” he added.-India Today
