Amid deepening ties between New Delhi and Washington, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make his first official visit to the US later this month.
The Indian Prime Minister will arrive in Washington on June 22 at the invitation of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. During his visit, Modi will attend an official dinner hosted by the US President and First Lady at the White House. . During the visit, he will also address the US Congress.
US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jack Sullivan, is going to India next week to finalize preparations ahead of Modi’s official visit to Washington, the White House confirmed on Wednesday.
Washington has been working to deepen ties with the world’s largest democracy, establishing military and industrial ties with the South Asian country as an important counterweight to China’s dominance, even as The two democracies are at odds over how to deal with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A White House National Security Council spokesman said Sullivan will meet with Indian officials ahead of Modi’s June 22 state visit to “discuss deepening cooperation in key areas of importance between the United States and India.” ”
A senior official said Reuters that Sullivan would monitor the “outcomes” of the state visit and make sure “we’re moving in the right direction.”
Last May, Biden and Modi announced a bipartisan “Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies,” dubbed “iCET,” to push their governments to work on everything from artificial intelligence (AI) to semiconductor chips and quantum computing. , directed to work together on advanced technology, especially in defence.
As part of the initiative, the Biden administration is poised to sign a deal that would allow General Electric ( GE.N ) to produce jet engines that power Indian military aircraft in the country, Reuters reported. Reported on May 31. Comment on this report.
“I think we’re making good progress on this,” the US official said on Wednesday. “We will report this to Congress shortly.”
India, the world’s largest arms importer, depends on Russia for about half of its military supplies, and has bought fighter jets, tanks, nuclear submarines and an aircraft carrier over the decades.
Washington is eager to secure the support of this year’s Group of 20 (G20) host to meet India’s growing defense needs and press Russia for war in Ukraine.
— Additional input from Al Jazeera/The Times of India