High praise and appreciation for Modi from Obama.
AB Wire
The prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, is an honest politician who has a clear vision for the country, according to the US president Barack Obama.
“President Obama has found Prime Minister Modi to be somebody who is honest and direct, somebody who has good command of the facts, somebody who has a clear understanding of the issues that confront his country and our relationship,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters at his daily news conference at the White House, on Wednesday, reported the Press Trust of India.
Obama had met Modi in Paris on the sidelines of the United Nation’s Climate Change Summit, on Monday. That meeting was the sixth meeting between the two leaders since the two first met at the White House, in September, 2014.
“He (Modi) also is somebody that has a clear vision for where he wants to take his country, and it makes him not just an effective politician, but an effective Prime Minister,” Earnest said.
“Obama certainly does respect Prime Minister Modi and has appreciation for his skills and abilities as a politician. He also is somebody who is given a very difficult challenge of sitting atop the world’s largest democracy,” he said.
“That’s not easy to work and it’s not easy work and the president of the US has special insight into how difficult it is,” he added.
On the two leaders meeting frequently, Earnest said: “I think that isn’t just a testament to their good working relationship, it actually is a testament to the important issues that are at stake between our two countries and the ability of the leaders of our two countries to work through those issues and to advance our shared interests is a good thing.
He added: “It’s a good thing for the world, it’s also a good thing for the citizens of our two countries.”
According to Earnest, Modi may make yet another visit to the White House, before Obama vacates office in January, 2017.
“I’m not aware of any meetings that are on the agenda at this point, but I certainly wouldn’t rule out another visit by Prime Minister Modi before the end of next year,” Earnest said.