US President Joe Biden Invites PM Modi For State Visit During Summer

US President Joe Biden has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a State visit. This will also be Prime Minister Modi’s eighth visit to the United States.

According to sources, the invitation has been accepted in principle and officials on both sides are now working on mutually convenient dates. The visit is expected to take place in June or July.

A state visit is considered the highest expression of friendly bilateral ties between two democracies. A state banquet will be held in his honor, along with other official public ceremonies.

Modi’s visit is likely to include a joint address with Biden to Congress and a state dinner at the White House. Biden hosted French President Emmanuel Macron for his first state dinner last December.

India-US partnership

On Tuesday, India and the US launched the India-US initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), which officials describe as the “next big thing” in their relationship. “The discussions during this visit form the basis for intensifying India-US cooperation in cutting-edge sectors and are truly reflective of the maturity of the India-US comprehensive, global strategic partnership,” the embassy said in a statement about NSA Ajit Doval’s visit for the launch.

Also read: India & US launch iCET, elevate strategic partnership

US President views the US-India partnership as “essential” to address global challenges, a senior administration official said.

“President Biden views that, as two of the world’s leading knowledge economies, this partnership is essential. He believes that no successful and enduring effort to address any of the major challenges that the world faces today, whether we’re looking at food or energy or health security, the climate crisis, or upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific, going to work without a US-India partnership at its heart,” a senior administration official told to media.

During a visit to Tokyo last year, Prime Minister Modi referred to the relationship between India and the US as a partnership built on trust and a positive force for promoting global peace and stability.

“The US really views that this is in our strategic interest to support India’s rise as a global power. We see that in both the Quad and India’s Presidency of the G20. This describes a greater vision of this coherent US-Indo Pacific strategy that requires that both the US and India pull closer together and overcome long-standing obstacles to doing so,” the senior administration official said on the condition of anonymity.

Given that India is hosting a series of events this year related to G-20 leading to a summit in September, which among others would be attended by Mr. Biden, it is reliably learned that officials from the two sides are looking for appropriate dates in June and July when not only both the US House of Representatives and the Senate are in session but PM Modi has a couple of days at his disposal when he does not have a predetermined domestic commitment or international engagements.