WASHINGTON, Sept 11: US President George W. Bush will welcome Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sept 25 for talks on bilateral relations including a nuclear cooperation deal, the White House said on Thursday.

Singh’s visit will “strengthen the strategic partnership and build upon our progress in other areas of cooperation, such as agriculture, education, trade, and defence,” Bush spokeswoman Dana Perino said in a statement.

Perino’s comments came a day after the White House submitted the civilian nuclear cooperation pact to the

Unied States Senate for ratification.

“The president looks forward to working with Congress to ensure passage on the agreement this year,” the spokeswoman said.—AFP