PM Narendra Modi will be honored with ’21 gun salute’ at the White House; US says looking ahead

Washington: The United States is looking forward to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said John Kirby, US National Security Council (NSC) coordinator for strategic communications, at a press briefing on Monday (local time). He said the US and India have an “important defense partnership” and “excellent cooperation” in the Quad. Responding to a question whether US President Joe Biden is committed to holding a joint news conference with PM Modi during his visit, Kirby said, “I don’t believe the full agenda for the state visit has been worked out.” , But we are very much waiting for Prime Minister Modi to come here.” Kirby said, “As you know, the United States has an important defense partnership with India and great cooperation with India in the Indo-Pacific region, inside the Quad. There’s a lot to talk about . We are looking forward to the trip.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the US from June 21 to June 24 at the invitation of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. The Indian diaspora in America is also eagerly awaiting the arrival of PM Modi. On June 22, over 7000 Indian Americans are planning to be on the South Lawn of the White House when US President Biden and the First Lady will welcome PM Modi amid a 21-gun salute.

In the US, PM Modi will also address the chairmen and CEOs of top American companies at the John F Kennedy Center in Washington. During his visit, PM Modi will address a joint session of the United States Congress on June 22. The invitation to deliver such a historic speech was extended by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, demonstrating bipartisan support and respect for Prime Minister Modi. United States. He will be the first Indian PM to address a joint session of the US Congress twice.

The invitation letter from the President and the First Lady lauded PM Modi’s last historic address seven years ago, which helped strengthen ties between the two countries. In its message, the White House emphasized that this is an opportunity to reaffirm the deep and close alliance between the two countries. PM Modi expressed his thanks for the privilege and said he looked forward to addressing the joint session. In his message, PM Modi reiterated his pride in having a Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with the US founded on principles of democratic values, close people-to-people ties and a firm commitment to global peace and prosperity.

US Secretary of State Antony said, “We are here, almost literally, for what we believe will be a historic state visit by Prime Minister Modi that will further cement the relationship that President Biden has defined for the 21st century.” Blinken. He said that the US sees this (India-US) defining relationship as a unique one between the world’s oldest and largest democracies, with a special obligation now to demonstrate that these two governments care for all their citizens. can distribute and empower

Praising the ties between the two countries, Blinken said, “As you all know, trade between our countries reached a record $191 billion last year, making the US the largest trading partner for India. American companies have now invested at least $54 billion. in India. In the US, Indian companies have invested over $40 billion in IT, pharmaceuticals and more, supporting 425,000 jobs from California to Georgia.”