Washington: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh as a pivotal contributor in bolstering US-India ties and offered his sincere sympathies on his loss.

Blinken commended Dr. Manmohan Singh for his leadership and stated that he was instrumental in promoting economic reforms in India and strengthening the strategic partnership between the United States and India. He will always be remembered for his commitment to strengthening ties between the two countries, which included the US-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement.

Blinken issued the following statement: “The United States offers our sincere condolences to the people of India for the passing of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.”

One of the strongest advocates for the strategic alliance between the United States and India, Dr. Singh’s efforts set the groundwork for much of what our nations have achieved together over the last 20 years. His initiative in promoting the US-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement represented a significant financial commitment to the future of the US-India partnership. Dr. Singh’s economic reforms, which fueled India’s swift economic expansion, will be recognized at home. We are saddened by Dr. Singh’s death and will never forget his commitment to strengthening ties between India and the United States,” Blinken said.

At the age of 92, Manmohan Singh passed away on Thursday night at AIIMS, Delhi, from age-related illnesses. He was sent to the AIIMS Delhi after experiencing an unexpected loss of consciousness at home.

We regret to announce the passing of Dr. Manmohan Singh, the former prime minister, who was 92 years old. On December 26, 2024, while receiving treatment for age-related illnesses, he suddenly lost consciousness at home. At home, resuscitation efforts were initiated right away. At 8:06 PM, he was taken to AIIMS, New Delhi’s Medical Emergency. AIIMS, Delhi, announced in a statement that he was pronounced dead at 9:51 PM after all attempts to resuscitate him failed.

After 33 years of service, Dr. Manmohan Singh departed from the Rajya Sabha earlier this year. He was born in Punjab in 1932 and was India’s prime minister for two terms, from 2004 to 2014. He first assumed power after the Congress Party’s victory against the NDA, headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi replaced him in 2014 after he completed a second term in office from 2009 to 2014.