Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that his visit to the United States will strengthen bilateral relations based on shared values of democracy, diversity, and freedom at a time when the two countries are tackling common global issues.
Modi made the comments in a statement before departing for a state visit to the United States at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. Aside from talks with Biden, Modi will be invited by the US president for a state banquet and will address a joint session of the US Congress.
Several fundamental understandings and initiatives to remove impediments to advancing cooperation in critical areas such as defense and critical technologies to the next level are expected to be unveiled during Modi’s three-day visit to the US.
“I am confident that my visit to the US will reinforce our ties based on shared values of democracy, diversity and freedom. Together we stand stronger in meeting the shared global challenges,” Modi said in the departure statement.
He added that his discussions with the president and other senior US leaders will be an opportunity to consolidate cooperation bilaterally and in plurilateral forums such as the G20, Quad, and Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).
Modi described India-US relations as diverse, with expanding collaborations in various industries.
According to him, the United States is India’s greatest trade partner in products and services, and the two countries work closely in science and technology, education, health, defense, and security.
“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,” he said.
He will next proceed to Washington for his meeting with Vice President Joe Biden.
The two leaders have met multiple times since Modi’s previous official visit to the United States in September 2021, and the present visit will contribute to the partnership’s depth and diversity.
In his remarks to a joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate, Modi stated that the Congress has always provided strong bipartisan support for India-US relations.
“Strong people-to-people linkages have been instrumental in developing the trust between our countries. I look forward to meeting the vibrant Indian-American community that represents the best of our societies,” Modi said, adding he will meet leading CEOs to discuss opportunities in trade and investment and in building resilient global supply chains.
According to sources close to the situation, the prime minister will meet with more than two dozen thought leaders from various fields in New York.
Nobel laureates, economists, artists, scientists, intellectuals, entrepreneurs, academicians, and health-care specialists will be among them.
Among those Modi is expected to meet are investor and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, astrophysicist and author Neil deGrasse Tyson, economist Paul Romer, author Nicholas Nassim Taleb, Ray Dalio, founder of the leading hedge fund firm Bridgewater Associates, and Grammy award-winning singer Falu Shah.
Source:HT