Obama's three-day India visit ends, US President flies to Saudi Arabia

New Delhi: United States President Barack Obama on Tuesday afternoon left for Saudi Arabia from Palam Air Force Base in New Delhi after his India visit which lasted for a little over two days. Obama was invited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the chief guest at India's 66th Republic Day parade.

Obama, accompanied by his wife Michelle, folded his hands in a traditional 'Namaste' and waved before boarding Air Force One at the Palam airport where Union Minister Piyush Goyal and, Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh, were among those present.

During his visit to India that started on Sunday morning the US President attended various events and ceremonies including President's Banquet, CEO's roundtable and Town Hall event apart from the Republic Day parade.

In his talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, both the leaders managed to remove the hurdles to operationalise the civil nuclear deal besides deciding to jointly produce military hardware and stepping up economic engagement.

During the visit, the two sides sealed a clutch of deals to unlock billions of dollars in nuclear trade and deepen defence ties, and Obama pledged $4 billion in investments and loans to release what he called the "untapped potential" of a partnership between the world's largest democracies.

Most significant was an agreement on issues that, despite a groundbreaking 2006 pact, had stopped US companies from setting up nuclear reactors in India and had become one of the major irritants in bilateral relations.

Obama and the US First Lady had planned a visit to the Taj Mahal but cancelled their trip to the world heritage site and instead decided to visit Saudi Arabia to pay condolences to the Royal family following death of King Abdullah.

Earlier it was speculated that PM Modi will be present at the Palam Air base but it did not happen.

(With agency inputs.) ####

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