Top US senators, lawmakers 'excited, eager' to welcome Prime Minister Modi

New York, June 19 (IANS) Prominent American senators and Congressmen have said they are "excited" and "eager" to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US, and look forward to him addressing a Joint Meeting of Congress on Thursday.

In a series of video messages posted on Twitter, the lawmakers said that the official state visit by the Indian leader heralds a significant moment in bilateral ties.

"I would like to join the vibrant and important Indian community in my home state in saying welcome to Washington D.C., Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Prime Minister's state visit is a significant moment in the India-US relationship," New Jersey Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Menendez said.

"I am excited to welcome Prime Minister Modi... The US-India relationship is one of the most important in the world. We are looking forward to hearing Prime Minister Modi address the joint session of Congress," Buddy Carter, serving in Georgia's 1st Congressional District, said in his video message.

Prime Minister Modi's four-day visit to the US includes a state dinner hosted by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, and his address to the Joint Session of Congress on Thursday.

He will also address an invitation-only gathering of diaspora leaders from across the country at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington on Friday.

"I am excited that (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) is coming to America to extend goodwill between our two nations in one of the most strategically important relationships we have in the world," Representative Richard McCormick said.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit is an opportunity to deepen our collaboration in areas such as Trade, Defence, Technology, Healthcare which will shape the future trajectory of our relations," Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith said.

Congressmen Greg Landsman and Don Bacon said that the visit is an opportunity to strengthen democratic values in India, the US and across the world.

"The largest and oldest democracies will have (a) great opportunity to strengthen our bonds. We share common threats and believe in common values," Congressman Don Bacon said.

Congressman Gregory Meeks, who serves the Fifth Congressional district of New York, said that India-US relationship will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century.

Meeks said he wants to see the two nations work in unison to advance peace and prosperity.

"I look forward to hearing from the Prime Minister during our joint meeting of Congress on his vision for India, for India's relationship with the US, and I see us work together to advance peace, prosperity, democratic values and stability in the Indo-Pacific," Meeks said concluding his message with 'Jai Hind'.

Responding to the video messages, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar thanked all the lawmakers and senators, and expressed confidence that the bilateral ties "will keep growing from strength to strength" with their support.

Modi's visit will commence in New York where he will lead the celebrations of the International Day of Yoga at the UN headquarters on Wednesday.

He will be the third Indian leader to make a state visit to the US with the previous two visits by former president Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan in June 1963 and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November 2009.