Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the US in June for the fourth time in his two years at the office.
The US president Barack Obama invited Modi when the two met briefly during the nuclear summit. The bilateral summit with President Barack Obama will most likely be held on 7 and 8 June. His itinerary may include addressing a joint session of the US Congress.
If that does happen, Modi will become the sixth Indian prime minister to address a joint session of the US congress after Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh.
Ocean economy, space cooperation, cyber security and nuclear commerce are the issues that the top leaders would discuss. However, according to a report in The Hindu a US state department official said that the dates or the agenda haven’t yet been finalized.
Prime Minister Modi may also visit the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during his visit to discuss new initiatives and agreements between the countries.
The commercial agreement between Westinghouse Electric and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd to build six nuclear reactors in Gujarat, which failed to materialize during the Nuclear Summit, could also be finalized during the state visit.
The state department official also added that the dates were yet to be confirmed as several senior officials would be travelling to China during the first week of June for the Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.
The US-India partnership has blossomed over the years especially after Barack Obama was appointed the president of the US. The US president had earlier visited India twice. Modi’s visit in June could be the last significant interaction between the two leaders before Obama leaves the office early next year. An address to the US Congress and a state banquet in Modi’s honour would make up for the absence of splendour during his three earlier visits to the US.
