US President Joe Biden met Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first time in an in-person meeting at the White House. During the meeting, both the leaders spent more than 90 minutes in the Oval Office. The meeting was originally scheduled for 60 minutes.

After the meeting, Biden said that India and the US are the world’s largest democracies and the two countries are committed to taking on the toughest challenges together.

“This morning, I hosted Prime Minister Modi at the White House as we launch a new chapter in the history of US-India ties. Our two nations are the largest democracies in the world, and we’re committed to taking on the toughest challenges we face — together,” Biden said in a tweet.

Prime Minister Modi said he had an “outstanding” meeting with US President Biden.

“His leadership on critical global issues is commendable. We discussed how India and the USA will further scale-up cooperation in different spheres and work together to overcome key challenges like COVID-19 and climate change,” he said.

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Later while briefing the media, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that the two leaders acknowledge that the comprehensive global strategic partnerships between two countries are strongly anchored in a shared commitment to democratic values and common strategic interests.

“It was a meeting which is characterized by warmth and cordiality. It was both productive and timely,” he said.

Shringla said the prime minister expressed thanks for the solidarity shown by the US government when India had a second wave of the crisis, and the support India received for that time.

“President Biden appreciated India’s role as a country that extended assistance to countries across the world, including through pharmaceuticals and vaccines,” he said.

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Foreign Secretary Shringla added that the US President was impressed with India’s approach and the steps taken by the government to deal with the second wave.