PM Modi raises a toast to India-US ties State luncheon: ‘Long journey in defence, trade’
Speaking at a luncheon hosted in his honour at the White House, Modi said India-US have expanded the scope of cooperation in the defence and strategic areas.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the luncheon hosted by US Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the State Department on Friday, said that both countries had embarked on a ‘beautiful journey’ of collaboration in the fields of defence and emerging technologies. He added that both countries had expanded cooperation by being part of the Quad and I2U2 grouping.
“India and the US are working with renewed trust in areas of new and emerging technologies,” the PM said as he thanked the Biden government for giving him a warm welcome. "The sweet melody of the India-US relationship is composed of our people-to-people relations," Modi added.
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“In 2014 during my visit to the US, President Biden who was at the US State Department at the time defined India-US friendship as “a promise over the horizon." In this period of nine years since then, we have been on a very long and beautiful journey in areas of defence, emerging technologies and trade. We are progressing as we work in the frameworks of Quad and I2U2. India and the US can be seen working together,” he said.
I2U2 stands for India, Israel, the UAE, and the US, and aims to discuss “common areas of mutual interest, to strengthen the economic partnership in trade and investment in the respective regions and beyond”. The leaders of the Quad – India, Australia, Japan and the United States – focuses on key challenges of the Indo-Pacific region such as climate change, infrastructure and connectivity.
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Modi also lauded Harris and her parents, saying “Your contribution to strengthening our strategic partnership has been incredible.”
Harris' office had tweeted on Thursday, “Together, our nations will shape the future…The partnership between the United States and India is one of the most important of the 21st century, and this visit will take our partnership to the next level — from space to defence, to emerging technology and supply chains.”
Modi responded on Twitter and wrote, "Our partnership indeed holds immense potential for this century. I am equally enthusiastic about elevating our cooperation in futuristic sectors."
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The PM, currently in Washington on his maiden State visit, also became the first Indian leader to address the joint session of the US Congress twice on Thursday.
President Biden held a state dinner in honour of Modi on Thursday. Billionaire Mukesh Ambani, Google CEO Sunder Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook were among the attendees at the White House dinner.
(With inputs from PTI)
