Micheal Pompeo, Benjamin Netanyahu extend Diwali greetings

Washington: On the occasion of Diwali, United States Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo extended wishes to those celebrating the festival of lights.

“On behalf of the Department of State, I would like to wish all those celebrating Diwali a joyous and prosperous holiday. Also known as the Festival of Lights, this special occasion celebrates the triumph of light over darkness.

Nearly a billion celebrants from around the world will light the Diya, or lamp, as a reminder that good ultimately overcomes evil, understanding over ignorance, and kindness over animosity. Diwali is also a time of reflection and prayer when observers perform Seva, or selfless service, without any expectation of reward or payment,” Pompeo said in a statement.

“As those celebrating decorate their homes with vibrant lights, I would also like to recognize the achievements of our friends in the United States observing Diwali who make important contributions to our country on a daily basis. Again, to those celebrating this joyous time I wish you a happy Diwali,” he added.

Last night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had an interesting Twitter exchange with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu over Diwali celebrations.

“On behalf of the people of Israel, I would like to wish my dear friend @narendramodi and the people of India a joyous Diwali. May this luminous festival of lights bring you happiness and prosperity. Reply to this tweet with the name of the city where you’re celebrating!” Netanyahu had tweeted.

Responding to Diwali greetings from the Israeli Prime Minister, Prime Minister Modi said, “Bibi, my friend, thank you so much for the Diwali wishes. Every year, I visit our border areas and surprise our troops. This year too will spend Diwali with our brave troops. Spending time with them is special. I will share photos of the same tomorrow evening. 🙂 @netanyahu”

Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday celebrated Diwali with jawans of the Indian Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel at Harsil village in Uttarakhand.

As part of the celebrations, the Prime Minister also offered sweets to the jawans and interacted with people from nearby areas who had gathered to greet him on Diwali.

Thereafter, Prime Minister Modi offered prayers at Kedarnath shrine and extended Diwali greetings to soldiers posted on the India-China border.

After offering prayers, Prime Minister Modi met the locals and people gathered at the temple to Lord Shiva, surrounded by snow-capped Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river. He also reviewed the progress of developmental work taking place in Kedarpuri.

[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]