Washington, 23 September
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met US Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House on Thursday, during which the two leaders strengthened the strategic partnership between the two countries and discussed issues of mutual and global interest.
This is the first meeting between the two leaders. Harris had earlier spoken to Modi over the phone during the Kovid-19 crisis in India.
Harris described India as a “very important partner” of the US and welcomed New Delhi’s announcement that it would soon resume vaccine exports.
India halted the export of COVID-19 vaccines after the second wave of the pandemic hit the country in April this year.
meeting @VP @KamalaHarris in Washington DC. https://t.co/kGxNAuBp9X
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 23, 2021
On Monday, India said it will resume exports of surplus COVID-19 vaccines in the fourth quarter of 2021 under the “Vaccine Friendship” program and to meet its commitment to the COVAX global pool.
56-year-old Harris is the first person of Indian origin to be elected as the Vice President of the United States of America.
A White House official had earlier said, “The meeting will be based on their June 3 telephone conversation addressing the COVID response. They plan to discuss democracy, human rights, climate and global health issues.”
Their meeting comes a day ahead of the first bilateral meeting between Modi and President Joe Biden and the Quad Leaders Summit at the White House on Friday.
Since taking office, Harris has met or spoken to more than 30 world leaders, promoting American interests on issues ranging from global health to climate change to cyber threats. PTI