U.S. President Joseph Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin joined leaders of more than 50 countries in congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) that won the highest number of seats in the Lok Sabha election.

During a telephone call, Mr. Modi also invited Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe to his swearing-in due to be held this weekend, which he has accepted, the Sri Lankan Presidential Media Division said in a statement.

All eyes are now on which other leaders the government would invite to the ceremony as Mr. Modi did in 2014 and 2019, when he invited SAARC leaders and BIMSTEC leaders, respectively. As a member of both groupings, Sri Lanka’s leaders were invited on both occasions.

Officials did not rule out invitations to other regional countries, including the Gulf countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and Central Asian countries.  The officials explained that much will depend on their ability to fly to India at short notice once the swearing-in details are finalised. However, hotels in Delhi had already been primed by security agencies last month to expect incoming high-level visitors.

Among countries whose leaders extended their greetings on Wednesday were Israel, Singapore, the U.K., France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Spain, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine. Leaders of regional countries such as Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Seychelles, and the UAE also joined in, while the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) conveyed its wishes at a briefing. 

“Congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the National Democratic Alliance on their victory, and the nearly 650 million voters in this historic election,” Mr. Biden said, adding that the India-U.S. relationship had “unlimited potential”.

The U.S. government, in addition to congratulating Mr Modi and the NDA, also congratulated journalists, civil society workers and others for the contributions to democracy.

“We commend Indian voters, poll workers, civil society, and journalists for their commitment and vital contributions to India’s democratic processes and institutions,” the State Department’s spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

Mr. Putin was the first international leader to speak to Mr. Modi on the telephone. “The Russian President warmly congratulated Narendra Modi on the success of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the recently concluded general parliamentary elections,” the Kremlin said in a statement on Wednesday.

In a message echoing the Chinese MFA, Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong wrote, “Look forward to making joint efforts with the Indian side for a sound and stable China-India relationship, which is in line with the interests and expectations of both countries, the region and the world.”

President of the United Arab Emirates Mohammed Bin Zayed greeted PM Modi expressing interest in advancing “deeply rooted strategic partnership”.

Mr. Modi is expected to travel to Italy for the G-7 outreach on June 13 and 14, where he will meet Mr. Biden, and other G7 leaders, as well as to Kazakhstan on July 3-4 for the SCO summit, where the Presidents of Russia, China, and Central Asian countries and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, are expected to be present. Meanwhile, a number of South Asian leaders, including from Bangladesh, Bhutan, and possibly Sri Lanka, are expected to visit India in the next few weeks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has been urging Mr. Modi to travel to Switzerland next week for a Peace Summit right after the G-7, said, “Everyone in the world recognises the significance and weight of India’s role in global affairs… In this regard, we also look forward to seeing India attend the Peace Summit.”

India has not yet confirmed its level of participation at the conference, where Russia has not been invited, and Mr. Modi sidestepped Mr. Zelenskyy’s invitation, only saying in response that “India will continue to support peace, security and prosperity for everyone in the region.”

On Tuesday, in an unconventional move, even before the counting of votes had ended, Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda), and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth had sent greetings over social media platform X.

On Wednesday, as the results were finalised and NDA constituents met, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu issued statements greeting Mr. Modi on securing enough support for the third consecutive term. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is on a visit to China, has yet to convey his greetings.

“I look forward to working together to advance our shared interests in pursuit of shared prosperity and stability for our two countries,” said Mr. Muizzu, whose statement was significant given the tensions between India and the Maldives this year on the withdrawal of Indian troops from the Maldives’ southern atolls at the insistence of the Maldivian President.

Source: The Hindu

--Agencies