NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in New York on yoga day on June 21. This will be during his upcoming state visit to the US, which will include a state dinner in Washington DC on June 22 hosted by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
“The visit will underscore the growing importance of the strategic partnership between India and the US as the two nations collaborate across numerous sectors. The leaders will have the opportunity to review strong bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest which includes technology, trade, industry, education, research, clean energy, defence security, healthcare and deepening people to people ties,’’ according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
This June visit will facilitate the fourth meeting between PM Modi and President Biden between May and June, followed by a fifth during G20 Summit in September. The duo will first get to meet between May 19 and 21 during the sidelines of the upcoming G7 Leaders Summit meeting in Hiroshima. After the summit and before the duo head for the Quad Leaders Summit in Sydney on May 24, they will meet again in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister, James Marape, had said that his country is ready to meet President Biden and PM Modi in May for the India-Pacific Islands Cooperation meeting that would be attended by 18 Pacific Island leaders. “Papua New Guinea is ready to received both President Biden and PM Modi. It will be a historic first and also a going forward furturistic meeting of global superpowers in the biggest country in the Pacific,’’ said PM Marape.
The two leaders will meet again on May 24 during the Quad Summit in Sydney. President Biden too is expected to travel to India in September for the G20 Leaders Summit, as was stated by Donald Lu, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia. “2023 is going to be a big year for India-US relationship,’’ Lu had earlier said. The two nations are cooperating in the Indo-Pacific and have been jointly conducting military exercises in the area too.