PM Modi’s US visit ends: Here are some highlights

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Here’s a round-up of the significant events from PM Modi’s official three-day State visit to the US as a representative of the Republic of India:

1. 01

   PM Modi delivers goodbye speech to Indian-American diaspora

   “‘Together India and US are not just forming policies and agreements, we are shaping lives, dreams and destinies," said PM Narendra Modi addressing the Indian-American community at the end of his three-day state visit to the US.

   “The partnership between India and the United States will make the world better in the 21st Century. You all play a crucial role in this partnership,” he added while speaking at Ronald Reagan Center, Washington on Friday.

   At the heart of the Indo-US strategic partnership is deepening economic engagement and resolve on both sides to elevate the bilateral relationship to a “global strategic partnership”. Concluding the hour-long address amid cheers and chants of Bharat Mata ki Jai, the PM said, “I can sense a mini-India converging here. I thank you all for coming here. I have received unprecedented love and affection during my stay in the US.”

2. 02

   A joint statement is issued by India and the United States

   India and the US have agreed on a broad sweep in ties, declaring that “no corner of human enterprise is untouched by the partnership between our two great countries, which spans the seas to the stars”. A 58-paragraph joint statement was issued after the bilateral meeting between PM Modi and President Joe Biden. The statement called on Pakistan to take action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks. However, there was no mention of Russia or the US formulation on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

3. 03

   A celebrity-studded state dinner in honour of PM Modi is organised

   “Two great nations, two great friends, and two great powers. Cheers,” US President Biden told PM Modi in a toast at the state dinner Thursday hosted by US President at White House. Both the leaders expressed that the occasion celebrates great bonds of friendship between India and the United States. They hailed a new era in their nation’s relationship and spoke about deals on defence and commerce, which are aimed at countering China’s influence.

   Big names in the tech world and billionaire industrialists such as Mukesh Ambani, Google CEO Sunder Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook were among those invited to the State Dinner hosted in the honour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House on Thursday.

4. 04

   PM Modi addresses the US Congress, becoming the first Indian prime minister to do so twice

   In an almost one hour speech to the US Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched upon a variety of themes ranging from the Ukraine war to terrorism to women's empowerment to environment concerns. They were met with applause and standing ovation several times by the US Congress members, including Vice President Kamala Harris.  “When India grows, it influences and uplifts everyone,” he told the American parliament.

   The speech this time was longer in duration than last time, which was about 45 minutes in 2016.

5. 05

   Modi-Biden hold joint press conference at the White House

   At a joint press conference with US President Joe Biden at the White House, PM Modi declares that the partnership between India and the US knows no bounds. At the press conference where the leaders took questions from one reporter from each side, Biden by his side, PM Modi said Thursday that “democracy is in our DNA”, and “there is absolutely no question of discrimination” regardless of “caste, creed, religion and gender”. He was responding to a journalist’s question about what steps his government is willing to take to improve the rights of minorities in India and to uphold free speech.

6. 06

   Bilateral meeting takes place at the White House

   The bilateral meeting between PM Modi and US President Joe Biden took place at the White House ahead of the former's address at the US Congress. White House officials previewed the possible outcomes of the official meet: a mega deal on the purchase of General Atomics MQ-9 “Reaper” armed drones by India, a joint mission by the NASA and ISRO to the International Space Station in 2024 and New Delhi joining the Artemis Accords, which brings like-minded countries together on civil space exploration.

   Biden by his side in the East Room of the White House, Modi, too, headlined the strategic outcomes in his statement after the bilateral meeting between the two sides.

7. 07

   PM Modi presents an array of special gifts to President Biden and US First Lady

   PM Modi presented an array of special gifts to US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden when they hosted him for a private dinner at the White House on Tuesday. The gifts included a lab-grown 7.5-carat green diamond and a handcrafted sandalwood box. Biden was also presented with the first edition print of the book The Ten Principal Upanishads from 1937.

8. 08

   A warm welcome for PM Modi at the White House

   PM Narendra Modi received a warm welcome Thursday by United States president Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, as he arrived at White House to attend bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden, attend a State dinner and address the US Congress. His state visit to the US as a representative of the Republic of India set against the backdrop of a rapidly transforming world order, where India needs to keep both its strategic independence and geopolitical balance.

9. 09

   PM Modi leads International Yoga Day celebrations at UN headquarters

   Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led yoga session at United Nations headquarters, on the occasion of 9th International Yoga Day, created Guinness World Record for participation of people of most nationalities, according to officials.

10. 10

    PM Modi arrives in New York, meets Tesla CEO Elon Musk

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday arrived in New York on the first leg of his maiden state visit to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden. He met several business and thought leaders like Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Nobel Prize winner Paul Romer and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. He also met with experts in healthcare, tech and education sectors and discussed the National Education policy, tuberculosis elimination efforts and policymaking, among other topics.

11. 11

    PM Modi leaves for US

    PM Modi landed in New York late Tuesday evening, marking the beginning of his first State visit to the US, which he said “will reinforce ties based on shared values of democracy, diversity and freedom" with new milestones in the India-US relationship in Washington.

    His packed state visit to the US from June 21 to June 23 upon the invitation of US President Joe Biden notably included International Yoga Day celebrations, a state dinner, bilateral meetings with  Biden, a US Congress address and a speech to the Indian-American diaspora.