Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed for the United States on Tuesday morning for a historic state visit on the invitation of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. The Prime Minister said the visit will further strengthen India and US ties.
“Leaving for the US, where I will attend programmes in New York City and Washington DC. These programmes include Yoga Day celebrations at the United Nations headquarters, talks with the US President Joe Biden, address to the Joint Session of the US Congress and more,” PM Modi said.
In USA, I will also get the opportunity to meet business leaders, interact with the Indian community and meet thought leaders from different walks of life. We seek to deepen India-USA ties in key sectors like trade, commerce, innovation, technology and other such areas.— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 20, 2023
“This special invitation is a reflection of the vigour and vitality of the partnership between our democracies. This visit will be an opportunity to enrich the depth and diversity of our partnership,” PM Modi said in a statement released ahead of his visit.
PM Modi will also visit Egypt while returning from the United States.
The Prime Minister will begin his visit with a mega International Yoga Day event with top UN officials Csaba Korosi and Amina Mohammed on June 21. He will then meet CEOs of top American companies.
On June 22, the Prime Minister will hold meetings with US President Joe Biden and attend the state dinner hosted by Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at the White House.
“India-US ties are multifaceted, with deepening engagements across sectors. USA is India’s largest trade partner in goods and services. We collaborate closely in science & technology, education, health, defence and security fields. The initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies has added new dimensions and widened collaboration to defence industrial cooperation, space, telecom, quantum, Artificial Intelligence and biotech sectors. Our two countries are also collaborating to further our shared vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific,” the Prime Minister said.
PM Modi will also address the US House of Congress, becoming the second leader after the likes of former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu to address the US Congress on more than one occasion. He will address the US Congress on Thursday.
The meeting is also important because India and the US are committed to a shared vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific but Chinese assertiveness in the region and its attempts to subdue smaller nations into submission by threatening their sovereignty and integrity also needs to be highlighted in the global stage.
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