Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephonic conversation with US President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday. Modi congratulated Joe Biden on his win and reiterated India’s firm commitment to its strategic partnership with the United States. In the phone call from Mr Biden, PM Modi also offered his congratulations to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, saying that her success was a matter of pride for the Indian-American community.

Biden thanked PM Modi for his congratulations and “expressed his desire to strengthen and expand the US-India strategic partnership alongside the first vice president of South Asian descent,” said the readout of the call. Earlier on Tuesday, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar talked up positive ties with the incoming Biden administration, noting that the Democrat is “not a stranger” to India.

Apart from working together to combat terrorism and climate change, and defeat the Covid pandemic, Biden is expected to support India’s claim to a permanent UN Security Council seat. According to a policy paper released during the election, the President-elect feels “no common global challenge can be solved without India and the US working as responsible partners”.