New Delhi, Nov 18 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he spoke with US President elect Joe Biden on Tuesday evening.

“Spoke to US President-elect Joe Biden on phone to congratulate him. We reiterated our firm commitment to the Indo-US strategic partnership and discussed our shared priorities and concerns, COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region,” Mr Modi wrote on Twitter.

In a separate message, the Prime Minister congratulated America's first female Vice-President elect saying, "I also conveyed warm congratulations for VP-elect @KamalaHarris. Her success is a matter of great pride and inspiration for members of the vibrant Indian-American community, who are a tremendous source of strength for Indo-US relations."

In a statement, the MEA said that Mr Modi described Mr Biden's election was "a testament to the strength and resilience of democratic traditions in the United States."

During the conversation, Mr Modi also recalled previous meetings with Mr Biden, when he visited India in 2014 as Vice President, and in 2016, when he chaired the Joint Session of the US Congress that the Prime Minister had addressed during his 2016 visit to the US.

Mr Biden’s Presidential transition team also released a readout of the call with Mr Modi.

“The President-elect thanked the Prime Minister 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,” the readout said.

“The President-elect noted that he looks forward to working closely with the Prime Minister on shared global challenges, including containing COVID-19 and defending against future health crises, tackling the threat of climate change, launching the global economic recovery, strengthening democracy at home and abroad, and maintaining a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” Mr Biden’s team said.

Mr Biden had phone calls with the leaders of Israel, Chile and South Africa on Tuesday, as per a statement from his presidential transition team.

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