Washington: Prior to his visit to the US next week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet with US President Joe Biden and speak to a joint session of the US Congress a second time.
The International Day of Yoga celebrations will be led by Modi at the UN in New York on June 21. The following day, Modi will be formally welcomed at the White House.
His speech will honour the "enduring friendship" between the US and India, according to the Democratic and Republican leaders of Congress who extended the invitation earlier this month.
The Prime Minister (Modi) will address a Joint Sitting of the US Congress on June 22 "at the invitation of Congressional Leaders, including the Hon. Speaker of the House of Representatives Mr. Kevin McCarthy and Hon. Speaker of the Senate Mr. Charles Schumer," according to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs.
On June 23, the Vice President, Ms. Kamala Harris, and the Secretary of State, Mr. Antony Blinken, will co-host a luncheon for Prime Minister (Modi).
Modi attended the joint session of Congress in 2016, so this will be his second time speaking to it.
Only the closest allies of the United States are typically given access to such opportunities.
As the first Indian prime minister to do so, Mr. Modi will be speaking to the US Congress for the second time, according to Harsh V. Pant, vice president of the Observer Research in New Delhi.
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The visit will probably centre on technology and defence, strengthening a security alliance that has been growing over the past few years under Modi's administration. It is anticipated to result in several new defence contracts.
The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement, which permits the militaries of both nations to share bases for strategic purposes, was signed in 2016 and designated New Delhi as a "major defence partner" by Washington.
2018 saw the two countries sign the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement for "interoperability between the two militaries and sale of high-end technology from the US to India."
A significant new defence agreement between India and the US was signed in 2020, enabling New Delhi to access top-secret satellite and sensor data from Washington, a crucial resource for military applications and operations.
"Technology and defence are going to be the drivers of this very important relationship going forward, and that is what is being prioritised in the relationship," Pant said.
Big-ticket defence announcements during this visit will highlight the rising level of comfort between the two countries.
It also coincides with India's efforts to elevate its geopolitical status and reduce its decades-long reliance on Russian weapons and military hardware, as well as the escalating competition between the US and China in the Indo-Pacific region.
There is an understanding in India that an excessive reliance on Russia for defence needs to end, and there is an understanding in the USA that Indian capabilities need to be developed because India is a key player in the Indo-Pacific, and that there is an increasing sense of strategic convergence, according to Pant.
On June 24, after his trip to the US is over, Modi will take a flight to Egypt for his first official visit to Cairo.
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The visit is being made at the President of Egypt, H.E. Mr. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's, invitation, which he extended to the Prime Minister in January 2023 when he attended our Republic Day celebrations as the "Chief Guest," according to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs.
Elevating the relationship to a "Strategic Partnership" was decided upon during President Sisi's state visit in January 2023.
