Washington, Feb 11 (IANS): Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao considers it fortunate that India-US partnership enjoys bipartisan support in the US Congress, just as it does across the political spectrum in India.

Rao expressed the sentiment in a letter to the outgoing chairman of House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ed Royce, thanking him for his leadership of the Congressional caucus on India and Indian Americans, the largest such caucus for a single country.

Republican Royce recently passed the co-chairmanship of House India caucus to fellow Republican Peter Roskam on becoming the chairman of the foreign affairs panel.

Expressing her deep appreciation of Royce's leadership of the India caucus, the envoy said the diversification in the global strategic partnership between the two countries "is in no small measure attributable to your long association with the India caucus and the vision and diligence with which you have led it."

"The partnership between our two countries is fortunate to enjoy bipartisan support in the US Congress, just as there is a strong consensus for this relationship across the political spectrum in India," she said.

Rao said she was thankful for Royce's "willingness to work across the aisle and with the large Indian American community in the United States to advance our shared values and common interests."

Expressing delight at Royce's decision to remain actively engaged in the work of the India Caucus, the ambassador said she "looked forward to continuing our close cooperation to advance the India-US strategic partnership through the 113thCongress and beyond."