It's an honour extended to 1.25 billion people: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India and the United States should come closer and become stronger, and through their shared values do something for the benefit of the world.

"I understand, we can join together, where the United States and India, two big democracies, can do a lot together for the world. This is the commitment that I have been feeling, and I would always want India and the United States come together, come closer, become stronger and through their shared values do something for the benefit of the world,” said the PM, while addressing a Congressional reception jointly hosted by Foreign Relations Committee (House and Senate) and India Caucus (House and Senate) at Cannon Caucus Room at the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, DC.

Expressing his gratitude for hosting him together, the prime minister said, “I am deeply grateful that you have given me the honour of having or hosting me together, having this reception of both houses together.”

“I see a lot of familiar faces here and if I had more time, I would take out time to talk to you, but I am on a tour of five nations so you can understand the time is somewhat limited,” he said.

Speaking about his address to the Congress, Modi said: “Let me just say that, when I addressed the Congress today, I touched upon all issues that are important to us.”

“I had the opportunity to address the Congress, which I think was a big honour. But it’s not just a personal honour for me, it's not an honour for the prime minister of a country, it’s an honour extended to 1.25 billion people representing a country with an age old culture, with a profound respect for humanity and that believes in the philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, which means the ‘world is one family’. And I think it is an honour that has been extended to all of us to this ancient country, to this ancient culture that I am deeply grateful for,” he added.

Talking about his reception in the US, the prime minister said, “Whenever I have come here, I have had opportunities to meet senators, Congressmen, and they always received me with a lot of affection and spoken to me very openly.”

“I met your Congressmen and governors, and this I feel an opportunity to take our relationship beyond diplomacy. It’s going far beyond, it’s going far above that. It is, as I understand, we can join together where the United States and India, two big democracies, can do a lot together for the world,” he added.

“I have always felt that there has been a lot of curiosity in the United States. People want to know what do they do, how do they think, and this has been there for a long time,” he said, adding, “Then we proceeded to a phase, where America started understanding India, where they understood that we have a lot of shared values and these values can bring us closer and promote our relationship.”

“Then we proceeded to a phase, where we started thinking about what we can do for each other, how we can help each other, and we started thinking of what can I do that benefit the other country. And in this way we started coming closer, said the prime minister.

“But now,” he said, “we have transitioned into a new era, where we don’t think that what we can get from America, what can America get from us, we have gone way beyond that now.”

“Right now, what we are thinking about is how the United States and India work together to benefit the world can. You have global problems like climate change, global warming, poverty, health concerns; together we can find solutions for the world. We must use our skills, our intelligence, our resources, and with commitment we need to go forward,” added Modi.

The prime minister concluded: “I think my journey this time, my two day visit to the United States has only reinforced the commitment and with that I would like you thank you very much once again. Thank You.”

• Modi in Washington: The India Abroad Special