New Delhi: India's former ambassador to the United States Meera Shankar on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US promises a substantive outcome for both countries for shaping stable ties in the Indo-Pacific region for lasting peace and prosperity in the region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a four-day state visit to the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of President Biden and first lady Jill Biden. His visit comes at a crucial time as geopolitical challenges loom large in South Asia. With threat mounting from China and Russia's grip over the war, has called for a rebuilding of even much stronger ties between India and the US.
In a conversation with ETV Bharat, India's former ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar said, "This is Prime Minister Modi’s first State Visit to the United States. It will be high on Protocol but also promises substantive outcomes that will advance our Strategic Partnership significantly".
"The likely agreement for the manufacture of GE F414 engines in India along with transfer of technology will be a game changer in terms of US willingness to share advanced defense technology. An agreement for India to purchase US-armed drones is also on the anvil. The initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies holds promising possibilities if concrete proposals for cooperation can be concretized", she added.
The ex-envoy noted that working together, both India and the US can help to shape a more stable balance in the Indo-Pacific region and contribute to peace and prosperity in the region. Commenting on China's attempt to create a diplomatic setback by blocking the joint proposals of India and the US to list LeT's Sajid Mir as a Global terrorist in the UN, Meera Shankar said, "This is on par with China’s irresponsible behavior in the past. Protecting terrorists or using double standards on terrorism reflects poorly on them".
Meanwhile, PM Modi will lead a yoga session at the UN headquarters today which will see the participation of eminent personalities including President of the 77th United Nations General Assembly, Csaba Korosi, actor Richard Gere, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Digital evangelist Vala Afshar, award-winning storyteller Jay Shetty, Indian chef and restaurateur Vikas Khanna and Grammy award winner Ricky Kej.
On Wednesday, PM Modi interacted with top business leaders, academicians, and experts in New York. Among them are Elon Musk, tech pioneer, business magnate, and CEO of Tesla Inc. & SpaceX; owner, CTO, and chairman of Twitter; founder of the Boring Company and X-corp; co-founder of Neuralink and OpenAI, today, in New York, USA.
Prime Minister appreciated Musk’s efforts at making technology accessible and affordable in various sectors. Prime Minister invited Musk to explore opportunities in India for investments in electric mobility and the rapidly expanding commercial space sector.
On June 22, Thursday, Modi is scheduled to meet President Biden and hold bilateral talks in Washington. Both leaders are expected to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war and other issues of global and mutual interests. Moreover, a plethora of defense deals are scheduled to be signed between the two sides which is expected to provide fresh momentum to the defense ties between the two nations.
