PM Modi's upcoming visit to the US an opportunity to elevate India-US relations to the next level: Envoy

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United States Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti Tuesday said America wants to work with India to make the Indo-Pacific safe as "we cannot have the Indo-Pacific without India".

He said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to the US will be an opportunity to elevate India-US relations to the next level. "Our leaders are good friends and our countries are great friends. This is an opportunity to elevate their relationship and all of our relations to the next level," the US Ambassador to India said on PM Modi's upcoming US visit, ANI reported.

He said PM Modi's visit will express the warmth between "our people and the ambitions we have to take this relationship forward."

PM Modi will visit the US on June 22 following an invitation from President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. Garcetti said: "I think this gonna be a fabulous visit."

He said: "I think Indians and Americans, India and the United States see eye to eye. And I think this visit will also cement that further."

Garcetti said India and the US "trust one another, and our defence partnership really displays that where it's that India has more exercises on the military side with the United States than any other country in the world, or whether it's the joint production of military defence."

The Ambassador said the US cares about India's security. "We want India to be safe, and we want to work with India to make the Indo-Pacific safe. So this is where we're aligned. We cannot have the Indo-Pacific without India," he said.

Meanwhile, the White House recently said the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US will be an opportunity to reaffirm the deep, close partnership between US and India.

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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.

Pierre further said: "The President and the First Lady are looking forward to welcoming Prime Minister Modi for the official state visit which is going to happen on June 22."

The White House Press Secretary said the visit will also strengthen US-India shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific and shared resolve to evaluate strategic technology partnership, including in defence, clean energy and space.

"Once we get closer to the 22nd, surely we'll hold background calls and have more information and more details," Pierre said.

Recently, highlighting the partnership between the US and India, Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of State, said that they are looking forward to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the country. (With inputs from ANI)