Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded a grand welcome as he arrived at the White House on his maiden pomp-filled state visit on Thursday to hold high-level talks with President Joe Biden, aimed at further boosting the Indo-US strategic relations. PM Modi was received by US President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on the South Lawn of the White House.
A lavish display of the bilateral relationship marked by marching bands and a 21-gun salute to PM Modi on the South Lawn. The two national anthems were played during the ceremony. Both the leaders shook hands with dignitaries present there. Biden in his welcome speech described the US-India ties as a defining relationship. Biden explained in detail the bilateral relationship and why it is important for not only India, the US and the rest of the world as well. He hailed the contributions of the Indian diaspora and mentioned the large number of Indian-Americans in his administration including Vice President Kamala Harris.
Prime Minister Modi thanked President Biden for the friendship and greeted Indian-Americans filled with enthusiasm. ‘The welcome is an honour and pride for the 1.4 billion people of India and for the 4 million Indian-Americans living in the US’, the Prime Minister said. He spoke about the common values of India and the United States. India and US. are committed to working together for global good, peace and prosperity, he said. ‘I am confident that our conversation would be very positive and useful’, he added.
First Lady Jill Biden held Prime Minister Modi’s hand as she took him inside. PM Modi and Biden held a one-on-one meeting in the Oval Office of the White House before holding delegation-level talks. This would be the second interaction between the two leaders within 24 hours. US delegation includes Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Jake Sullivan and Eric Garcetti, Ambassador of the United States to India.
Others in the delegation are John Podesta, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor for Clean Energy Innovation, Kurt Campbell, Deputy Assistant to the President & Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, National Security Council and Eileen Laubacher, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for South Asia, National Security Council. The Indian delegation comprises External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra and Taranjit Singh Sandhu, India’s Ambassador to the United States. Vani Sarraju Rao, Additional Secretary (Americas), Sripriya Ranganathan, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India, Arindam Bagchi, Additional Secretary and Spokesperson, Deepak Mittal, Joint Secretary to the Prime Minister and Hiren Joshi, Officer on Special Duty, are also a part of the delegation.
President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted Prime Minister Modi for an intimate dinner at the White House a day earlier during which they discussed a range of issues, exchanged gifts and enjoyed a musical tribute to the regions of India. Later Thursday, President Biden and the first lady will host a State Dinner at the South Lawn of the White House, which is expected to be attended by 400 guests. Prime Minister Modi’s visit also includes an address by him to the joint session of the US Congress.
According to the White House, the two leaders will discuss ways to further expand educational exchanges and people-to-people ties, as well as work together to confront common challenges from climate change to workforce development and health security. PM Modi arrived in Washington from New York where he led a historic event at the UN headquarters earlier in the day to commemorate the 9th International Day of Yoga, attended by UN officials, diplomats and prominent personalities. He is visiting the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of President Biden and the First Lady.
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