Barack Obama congratulates Narendra Modi
The call was seen as one of the first steps that the U.S. is taking to fix ties with Modi after they soured following a visa denial to the Gujarat Chief Minister in 2005 over his alleged role in the 2002 religious riots in his state.
Obama's invitation to Modi "to visit Washington at a mutually agreeable time to further strengthen our bilateral relationship" was given as part of a congratulatory call made on Friday for the "Bharatiya Janata Party's success in India's historic election”, the White House said.
"The President noted he looks forward to working closely with Mr. Modi to fulfill the extraordinary promise of the US-India strategic partnership, and they agreed to continue expanding and deepening the wide-ranging cooperation between the two democracies," the White House said.
The White House made no reference to the 2005 issue and when asked State department spokesperson Jen Psaki said, "The Prime Minister of India will be welcomed to the United States. As Head of Government, Mr. Modi would be eligible for an A-1 visa.”
Asked if Modi's visa revocation was "a wrong step taken" by the previous George Bush administration, White House press secretary Jay Carney said: "I can tell you that the Prime Minister of India will be welcomed to the United States."
"And I would also note that US officials, including Ambassador (to India Nancy) Powell, have met with Mr. Modi so he is certainly not unknown to us,” he said.
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