India-US relationship on upswing due to Modi's personal rapport: Venkaiah Naidu

New Delhi: Relationship between India and US is expected to be on the upswing after a strong foundation laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama due to the personal rapport shared by them, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said today.

"Thanks to the personal rapport established by Shri Modi with US President Barack Obama, the Indo-US ties have witnessed rapid expansion in different fields from trade to science and technology.

"This relationship is expected to be on the upswing in the coming years as a result of the strong foundation laid by the two visionary leaders," he said.

Naidu said the turnaround witnessed in the attitude of the US Congress after having denied him visa a decade ago proves that Modi is "one of the tallest leaders on the global stage".

"With his wit and pragmatic reasoning, Prime Minister has given a new dimension to the deepening of ties between the two large democracies," he said.

Referring to the repeated applause and standing ovation given to Prime Minister during his address to the US Congress last night, he said, it "is not only a clinching testimony to his huge popularity, but also to the growing acceptance of India as an important player in the emerging world order".

He said apart from securing United States' support for India's entry into NSG (Nuclear Suppliers' Group), a significant achievement has been recognition of India as a major defence partner by US and its readiness to share defence technologies to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners.

"This in my view would go a long way in helping to modernize India?s military requirements with the latest equipment," he said.