JOIN US Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a farewell call from outgoing US President Barack Obama, who will leave the White House on Friday.
Modi was among the few world leaders Obama called to bid farewell late on Wednesday. The only other leaders who received the farewell call from the White House on the same day were Afghanistan President M Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah.
Obama thanked Modi for his partnership and the two leaders briefly “reviewed joint efforts of cooperation, including defence, civil nuclear energy and enhanced people-to-people ties”, according to a press release issued by the White House on Thursday.
They also discussed the progress made on shared economic and security priorities, including recognition of India as a Major Defence Partner of the United States and addressing the global challenge of climate change, a spokesperson of the US government said in a statement on the White House website.
The prime minister conveyed to the outgoing US president “best wishes for his future endeavours”.
Eight meetings
Modi, who took over as prime minister of India in May 2014, met Obama eight times in the past two and a half years, not only during each other’s visits to the US and India, but also on the sidelines of the multilateral conclaves around the world.
The personal bonhomie between the two leaders was on display when Modi called Obama by his first name while interacting with reporters during the US president’s visit to New Delhi in January 2015 to attend the Republic Day as chief guest.
Obama joined Modi during a visit to the Lincoln Memorial when the prime minister was on his first visit to Washington in September 2014.
They also laugh and chatted over tea on the lawns of the Hyderabad House during the US president’s visit to New Delhi in January 2015.