Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is the first Indian PM who will address the Joint Meeting of the US Congress for the second time during his upcoming official state visit to the United States from June 21 to 24.
The invitation extended to PM Modi reflects the bipartisan respect and support he enjoys in the United States. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is second only to Benjamin Netanyahu, the PM of Israel, in terms of addressing the Joint Meeting of the US Congress. Netanyahu has achieved this honour thrice.
It is noteworthy that a Democratic President Joe Biden is inviting the Indian Prime Minister for a White House state dinner, while a Republic Speaker has asked him to address the joint session of Congress, indicating bipartisan support for augmenting Indo-US ties, Modern Diplomacy.eu reproted. This honour to PM Modi shows that this type of opportunity is granted only to the closest allies of the United States.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to the United States, discussions between him and President Joe Biden will center around strengthening their commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific region. The two leaders will also emphasize their shared determination to enhance the strategic technology partnership, with a specific focus on defense, the White House said on Wednesday.
PM Modi is scheduled to visit the US on June 22 following an invitation from President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. “The PM and the President will discuss ways to strengthen our two countries, shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific and our shared resolve to elevate our strategic technology partnership, including defence,” Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre said when asked if the defence would be a major part of the discussion between the two leaders.
“I don’t have anything more to say at this time about the visit. As we get closer, certainly we will have more to share. What I’ve said is the upcoming visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between the United States and India and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link the Americans and Indians together,” she said.
“So that certainly will be talked about in clean energy and space, but I’m just not going to get into details on what the particulars will be. And as we get closer to June 22, we certainly have more to share,” she added.
US and India have a strategic alliance. In their last in-person meeting in Indonesia, Prime Minister Modi and President Biden took into account areas like crucial and emerging technologies and artificial intelligence.
In the meeting, both sides discussed close cooperation in future-oriented sectors such as critical and emerging technologies, advanced computing, and artificial intelligence, an official statement by Prime Minister’s office read.
The two leaders also exchanged dialogue on topical global and regional developments.
Earlier, PM Modi visited the United States on September 23, 2021.
In 2022, on the sidelines of the QUAD Leaders Summit, PM Modi and President Biden announced the India-US initiative of critical and emerging technology, known as iCET.
Ahead of Modi’s state visit, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin was in India on a two-day visit to explore ways to lay the groundwork for highly anticipated agreements on bilateral defence cooperation, especially in areas of transfer of critical technologies for co-development of military hardware, Modern Diplomacy.eu reported.