US President Joe Biden to host PM Modi for state visit in June or July
US President Joe Biden has reportedly invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a state visit this summer, news agency PTI said citing sources.
According to the PTI report, the Prime Minister’s Office has accepted the invitation in principle. PM Modi’s expected visit is currently in the early stages of logistical planning, with officials on both sides figuring out dates convenient for the two world leaders to meet on.
The purported invitation by the White House comes at a time when India has assumed presidency of the Group of 20 (G-20) nations. To this end, India will be hosting a slew of events this year related to G-20 leading to a summit in September, which would be attended by Biden, among other leaders of state.
According to PTI, officials from the two sides are looking for appropriate dates in June and July when not only both the US House of Representatives and the Senate are in session, but PM Modi’s schedule is also clear of domestic commitments and other international engagements.
The timing of the US state visit will be key, as in addition to G-20, the Prime Minister has his plate full with domestic and international commitments till the fall, before he hits the campaign trail for a series of crucial state assembly elections later this year.
Sources, on condition of anonymity, told PTI that the state visit is expected to be a few days long, and would include the rare honour of an address to the joint session of the US Congress by PM Modi and a state dinner at the White House.
This would be PM Modi’s second state visit to the US during the presidency of Joe Biden. The Prime Minister had embarked on a high-level visit to Washington in September 2021, during which he held his maiden bilateral summit with Biden and attended the first in-person Quad summit.
PM Modi last met President Biden on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Bali in November 2022. At the meeting, the two leaders had reviewed the state of the India-US strategic partnership, and also discussed regional and global developments.
In a statement, the foreign ministry had said the two leaders expressed satisfaction about close cooperation between India and US in new groupings such as Quad and I2U2. MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had described their conversation as a “useful exchange”. (Times of India)
