By Kaveesha Fernando
NEW DELHI, India (CWBN)_ Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded The Legion of Merit, Degree Chief Commander yesterday (December 21) by the United States President Donald Trump.
““President @realDonaldTrump presented the Legion of Merit to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his leadership in elevating the U.S.-India strategic partnership. Ambassador @SandhuTaranjitS accepted the medal on behalf of Prime Minister Modi.” –NSA Robert C. O’Brien,” The White House National Security Council tweeted a few hours ago.
A prominent international media website notes that this is not the first time an award was conferred upon PM Modi by an international government. The site lists the other notable awards conferred upon PM Modi as follows: Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud by Saudi Arabia (2016), State Order of Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan (2016), Grand Collar of the State of Palestine Award (2018), Order of Zayed Award by United Arab Emirates (2019), Order of St Andrew by Russia (2019) and the Order of the Distinguished Rule of Nishan Izzuddin by Maldives (2019).
President Trump also conferred the award upon Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison and former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe. The White House National Security Council stated that Australian PM Morrison’s “leadership in addressing global challenges and promoting collective security” and former Japanese PM Abe’s “leadership and vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific” were the respective reasons the award was conferred upon the two leaders.
The countries of the awardees coincide with the three other nations which form “The Quad” with the US – namely, India, Australia and Japan. The Quad, formally known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (a formal alliance between the four nations listed above) was formed in order to counter China’s rise to power on the global stage.
