New Delhi, 19 June (Hindustan Times). Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said on Monday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-day visit to the US from Wednesday is important from the point of view of defense cooperation, commerce and investment. He told that during this time a blueprint for defense industry cooperation can be prepared.
Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Monday addressed a press conference in Delhi on the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Modi. He said that India and the US will have wide-ranging and in-depth discussions on important and emerging technologies. The technological partnership between India and the US is very rich and we want to make substantial progress on computer chips and other critical technologies.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a visit to America and Egypt from 20 to 25 June. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Prime Minister Modi will pay an official state visit to the US at the invitation of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. The visit will begin in New York, where the Prime Minister will lead the International Day of Yoga celebrations at the United Nations Headquarters on 21 June.
The Prime Minister will then travel to Washington DC, where he will be formally welcomed at the White House on 22 June and will meet President Biden to continue the high-level dialogue. President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will host a State Dinner in the Prime Minister’s honor that same evening.
The Prime Minister will address a joint sitting of the US Congress on June 22 at the invitation of Congressional leaders, including Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy and Senate President Charles Schumer. The next day on June 23, Vice President Kamala Harris and Foreign Minister Antony Blinken will jointly host a lunch for the Prime Minister. Apart from official engagements, the Prime Minister has a series of curated interactions with key CEOs, professionals and other stakeholders. He will also meet NRIs.
The Foreign Secretary informed that the Prime Minister will hold talks with a number of prominent personalities during his stay in the US, both in New York and Washington DC. It will also include prominent CEOs. The Indian community or the Indian Diaspora in America is indeed one of the strongest links of the relationship.
The Prime Minister will later be on a visit to Egypt from 24-25 June. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had invited the Prime Minister to visit Cairo in January this year. This will be the Prime Minister’s first visit to Egypt. In addition to his talks with President Sisi, the Prime Minister is expected to interact with senior dignitaries of the Egyptian government, some prominent Egyptian personalities as well as the Indian community living there.
It is noteworthy that in January 2023, President Sisi was the chief guest on Republic Day. During his state visit, it was agreed to elevate the relationship to a “strategic partnership”.
