US-India Collaboration Prioritizes Free and Prosperous Indo-Pacific : White House

The White House affirmed that the United States remains committed to fostering a free, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region in collaboration with India, emphasizing it as a continued priority. US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller highlighted the ongoing economic cooperation between the two nations and the strengthening of people-to-people bonds.

“We work with India on economic matters. We worked with them to deepen people-to-people ties between our two countries. Of course, we work with them on a free, secure, prosperous Indo-Pacific and those will continue to be our priorities,” stated the US State Department Spokesperson during a media briefing.

When questioned about potential US participation in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony, Miller indicated that there were no current announcements but encouraged staying informed.

“I don’t have any announcements to make today but stay tuned…,” he remarked.

Regarding the annual two-plus-two dialogue between India and the US, Miller confirmed its continuation but refrained from providing further details.

“I don’t have any announcements to make with respect to that dialogue, but it is an important priority for us, it’s an important priority for the secretary and we will continue to hold it. But in terms of when it will happen, I can’t tell you sitting here,” explained Miller.

Praising India as the world’s largest democracy, Matthew Miller applauded the Indian government, voters, and poll workers for the successful execution of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“…So India is, of course, the world’s largest democracy and the election that just played out over the last six weeks was the largest exercise of democracy in the history of the world. We commend the government of India, voters and poll workers, for this massive undertaking…,” remarked Matthew Miller during the media briefing.

Miller reiterated the US’s anticipation of continued collaboration with PM Modi.

“…In terms of the prime minister’s-coalition in the different governments, those are all choices for the Indian people to make and we respect the will of the Indian people,” he added.

Following PM Modi’s victory, US President Joe Biden congratulated him and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) via a post on X, highlighting the growing friendship between the two nations.

In the X post, Biden stated, “Congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the National Democratic Alliance on their victory, and the nearly 650 million voters in this historic election. The friendship between our nations is only growing as we unlock a shared future of unlimited potential.”

The Election Commission concluded the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday, revealing that BJP won 240 seats with Congress trailing behind at 99 seats out of the 543 constituencies. In an unexpected turn of events, Narendra Modi was unanimously chosen as the leader by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), confirmed by a letter of support from 21 NDA leaders. The significant decision was made during an important gathering at Modi’s official Delhi residence on the following Wednesday.