New Delhi: A roadmap for defence industrial cooperation is expected to be the key outcome of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States beginning June 21, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said on Monday.
Addressing a press conference here, he said all aspects of defence co-production and co-development will be part of the discussions between Modi and US President Joe Biden. "One of the key components which will be prominently showcased will be bilateral defence cooperation," he said.
"The second key component has been strong trade and investment partnership. Third is the technology component which interfaces with many other domains - telecom, space, manufacturing and investment," Kwatra said.
Giving details of the visit, Kwatra said, "PM is visiting the US on 21st through 23rd of June on the invitation of the US President Joe Biden and the first lady Jill Biden." He said that bilateral defence cooperation will be a key area of interest among others during the visit. "The other key component has been strong trade and investment partnerships. Third is the technology component which interfaces with many other domains - telecom, space, manufacturing and investment," Kwatra said.
The visit will commence in New York, where the Prime Minister will lead the celebrations of the International Day of Yoga at the United Nations Headquarters on June 21. In December 2014, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming June 21 as the International Day of Yoga.
Prime Minister will thereafter travel to Washington D.C., where he will receive a ceremonial welcome at the White House on June 22, and meet President Biden to continue their high-level dialogue. President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host a State Dinner in honour of the Prime Minister the same evening.
At the invitation of Congressional Leaders, including the Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, PM Modi will address a Joint Sitting of the U.S. Congress on June 22. On June 23, he will be jointly hosted at a luncheon by Kamala Harris, Vice President, and Antony Blinken, Secretary of State.
In addition to the official engagements, Modi is scheduled to have several curated interactions with leading CEOs, professionals, and other stakeholders. He will also meet members of the Indian diaspora. The PM will subsequently travel to Cairo to pay a State Visit to Egypt from 24-25 June. The visit is at the invitation of Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of Egypt, which he extended to the Prime Minister in January 2023 when he attended the Republic Day celebrations as the Chief Guest. This will be Prime Minister’s first visit to Egypt.
In Egypt, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said, PM Modi will visit the 11th-century Al-Hakim mosque during his first Egypt tour and will pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who died fighting for Egypt during the First World War. Kwatra said, "It is worth mentioning here that this will be Prime Minister's first visit to Egypt and I might also mention that this would be the first official bilateral visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Egypt since 1997."
He added that there have been visits in between, but they have mostly been for multilateral or plurilateral events. "Most recently, the Egyptian president had paid a state visit to India when he graced our Republic Day earlier in the year as the chief guest. At this stage, the prime Minister is expected to reach Cairo in the afternoon of June 24 where his first interaction will be with the India unit," the Foreign Secretary said.
He also pointed out that over the last several months since the visit of the President of Egypt, India has engaged in an intense level of ministerial-level political exchanges with Egypt. "External Affairs Minister himself, the Defence Minister, and the Minister of Environment have travelled to Egypt. Similarly, we have had at least three to four ministers from the Egyptian government who have visited India,” Kwatra said.
Apart from his talks with President Sisi, Prime Minister is likely to interact with senior dignitaries from the Egyptian Government, some prominent Egyptian personalities, and the Indian community in Egypt. Relations between India and Egypt are based on ancient trade and economic linkages as well as cultural and deep-rooted people-to-people ties. During the State Visit of President Sisi in January 2023, it was agreed to elevate the relationship to a ‘Strategic Partnership’.
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