New Delhi, Apr 14 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump reviewed the “substantial progress” in bilateral ties during a phone call on Tuesday, with US envoy Sergio Gor saying the two sides are expected to seal certain “big-ticket” deals soon, including in the energy sector.
Modi said he received a call from President Trump and they discussed the situation in West Asia and stressed the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz “open and secure”.
In the over 40-minute conversation, the US president updated the prime minister on the West Asia situation, Gor told a select group of journalists.
“Received a call from my friend President Donald Trump. We reviewed the substantial progress achieved in our bilateral cooperation in various sectors,” Modi said on social media.
“We are committed to further strengthening our Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership in all areas. We also discussed the situation in West Asia and stressed the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and secure,” he said.
It was the third phone call between the two leaders this year and the first after the recent peace talks between Iran and the US.
They spoke on February 2 to announce progress in a trade deal, and on March 24 to discuss the situation in West Asia.
The call ended with Trump telling PM Modi that: “I just want you to know we all love you”, according to Ambassador Gor.
The envoy said some big-ticket deals, including on energy, are expected to be sealed between India and the US in the next “few days and weeks”. However, he refuded to elaborate on the deals.
The call between the two leaders came two days after Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri wrapped up a three-day visit to Washington DC.
The two countries have been working to stabilise their ties after a spell of uncertainty and strain.
The relations witnessed a major downturn after Washington imposed punitive tariffs on India and President Trump made controversial assertions regarding his role in de-escalating the India-Pakistan military clashes last May.
However, both sides made efforts in the last few months to repair ties.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India next month to hold wide-ranging talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and other functionaries of the government. PTI MPB RT RT
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