Washington/New Delhi, June 16 (Agency) Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, the US has termed the partnership with India as “one of our most consequential relationships”.US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller, answering a question on PM Modi’s upcoming State Visit to the US, said: “I will say generally our partnership with India is one of our most consequential relationships. We look closely with India on – we work closely with India on our most vital priorities. They play a crucial role in ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific that is connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient. “And I know Secretary Blinken looks forward to seeing Prime Minister Modi and other members of the Indian delegation, while they’re here; and working to make progress on all the issues with which we consult with India.”
To another question, he said: “Let me just say again that our partnership with India is one of our most consequential relationships. We really do look forward to the visit next week. In addition to hosting Prime Minister Modi at the White House, there will be a state lunch here at the State Department, and we’re all very much looking forward to it.”Asked if the US would raise human rights issues with PM Modi during the visit, he said: “Sure. I would say, as I said in my previous comments, there are a number of issues with which we work with India, as I outlined before, but that also we regularly raise with Indian Government officials – at senior levels, our human rights concerns. We’ve been clear about that. We speak with them privately – we speak about those privately with the Indian Government and we speak about them publicly.” To a question on the huge backlog of visas, he said: “I will say, with respect to visas, our consular teams have been making a huge push to process as many visa applications as possible in India, including in those visa categories that are key to the bilateral relationship. This is a top priority for our government. We know that there is more work that we can do, and we are working hard to do it.”PM Modi will be in the US from June 21-23.