NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that he was ‘looking forward to meeting his friend’ US President Donald Trump, recalling them working together during his first term.
“I look forward to meeting my friend, President Trump. Although this will be our first meeting following his historic electoral victory and inauguration in January, I have a very warm recollection of working together in his first term in building a Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership between India and the US,” PM Modi said in a departure statement.
“We will work together for the mutual benefit of the people of our two countries and shape a better future for the world,” he added.
Announcing his official working visit, foreign secretary Vikram Misri had earlier said that PM Modi would be among the first world leaders to visit US in the first few weeks of the second Trump administration, in a sign of the bipartisan US support for the partnership with India.
The prime minister will have restricted and delegation-level talks with Trump and interact with business leaders, as well as the Indian community, on February 13.
At the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron, PM Modi is travelling to France to attend an AI Summit on February 10 and 11, followed by a bilateral meeting with Macron.
“In Paris, I look forward to co-chairing the AI Action Summit, a gathering of the world leaders and global tech CEOs, where we will exchange views on collaborative approaches to AI technology for innovation and larger public good in an inclusive, secure and trustworthy manner,” the statement read.
“The bilateral segment of my visit will provide an opportunity to review the progress on the 2047 Horizon Roadmap for India-France strategic partnership along with my friend President Macron,” it added.
PM Modi will also visit the historic French city of Marseille to inaugurate India’s first Consulate in France and tour the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project, where India is part of a global consortium, including France, working to harness sustainable energy.
Later, the prime minister will pay tribute to Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in World Wars I and II at the Mazargues War Cemetery.