Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday came in for some praise from Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on foreign soil, when he appreciated her decision to meet Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon during a recent visit, ignoring the boycott call by some of her party's allies and the Third Front.

Complete coverage of Vajpayee's visit

"This was a good gesture on the part of Sonia Gandhi. She carried out her responsibility as Leader of the Opposition by meeting Sharon.  I thanked her," Vajpayee said addressing the prestigious Asia Society.

The prime minister also appreciated Gandhi for enquiring about him when terrorists attacked Parliament on December 13, 2001.

Soon after the strike, Gandhi called him to find out where he was. "I informed her that I was at home and was getting ready to go to Parliament. I also enquired about her and she said she was speaking from home. This is the beauty of India's democracy," he said.