Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet US President Joe Biden and address a joint session of the US Congress for the second time next week, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
Modi will arrive in the United States on June 21 to join the ceremonies for International Day of Yoga at the United Nations in New York, followed by a ceremonial welcome at the White House the next day.
He will address Congress at the invitation of its Democratic and Republican leaders, who issued the invitation earlier this month, saying that the speech will honor the “enduring friendship” between the United States and India.
“At the invitation of Congressional Leaders, including the Hon. Speaker of the House of Representatives Mr. Kevin McCarthy and Hon. Speaker of the Senate Mr. Charles Schumer, Prime Minister (Modi) will address a Joint Sitting of the US Congress on June 22,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
“On June 23, Prime Minister (Modi) will be jointly hosted at a luncheon by H.E. Ms. Kamala Harris, Vice President and Mr. Antony Blinken, Secretary of State.”
Modi will address Congress for the second time after visiting its joint session in 2016.
Such an opportunity is generally reserved for the US’s closest allies.
“This is the second time Mr. Modi would be addressing the US Congress, becoming the first prime minister of India to do so,” Harsh V. Pant, vice president of the Observer Research in New Delhi, told Arab News.
The visit is anticipated to center on defense and technology, cementing a security collaboration that has been growing in recent years under Modi’s administration. It is expected to result in a slew of new defense deals.
Washington classified New Delhi as a “major defense partner” in 2016 and inked the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement, which permits both nations’ militaries to share bases for strategic objectives.
In 2018, the two nations signed the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement for “interoperability between the two militaries and sale of high-end technology from the US to India.”
In 2020, India and the United States inked a huge new defense treaty that will provide New Delhi access to top-secret satellite and sensor data from Washington, which is a critical instrument in military applications and operations.
“Technology and defense are going to be the drivers of this very important relationship going forward and that is what is being prioritized in the relationship,” Pant said.
“This visit will see big-ticket defense announcements underscoring the comfort level that has grown between the two nations.”
It also comes at a time when the US and China are strengthening competition in the Indo-Pacific area, as well as India’s efforts to elevate its geopolitical stature and reduce its decades-long reliance on Russian armaments and military equipment.
“There is a recognition in India that over dependence on Russia for defense needs to change and there is a recognition in the USA that Indian capabilities have to be nurtured because India is an important critical actor in the Indo-Pacific, and that strategic convergence is becoming more and more palpable,” Pant said.
Modi will leave the United States on June 24 for his first official visit to Cairo.
“The visit is at (the) invitation of H.E. Mr. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of Egypt, which he extended to the Prime Minister in January 2023 when he graced our Republic Day celebrations as the ‘Chief Guest,’” the Ministry of External Affairs said in its statement.
“During the State Visit of President Sisi in January 2023, it was agreed to elevate the relationship to a ‘Strategic Partnership.’”
