New Delhi: In the last year of his presidency, US President Barack Obama is inviting a very few world leaders with whom "he had a very close and productive working relationship", among them Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
When PM Narendra Modi visits the US on June 7-8 in the course of his five-nation tour starting on Saturday, it will be his fourth visit to the country in his two years in the office. And it is very likely that President Obama will be hosting PM Modi in the White House for the last time.
“President Obama spoke to the Prime Minister and mentioned to him that this year he was inviting some leaders with whom he had a very close and productive working relationship to visit him in the United States,” foreign secretary S Jaishankar said at a pre-departure media briefing here on Friday.
This will be Modi’s second bilateral visit to the US after his visit in September 2014.
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Jaishankar said that in many ways it would be a sort of “consolidation visit” after Obama and Modi working on the US-India relationship in the last two years.
After departing on Saturday morning, Modi will stop over in Herat in Afghanistan where he will, jointly with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, inaugurate the India-Afghan Friendship Dam, earlier known as Salma Dam that has been rebuilt with Indian aid.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sets off tomorrow on a five-nation visit to Afghanistan, Qatar, Switzerland, the US and Mexico during which the focus will be to broaden bilateral trade, energy and security cooperation and push for India's bid to become a member of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
Modi is likely to seek support of Switzerland and Mexico for India's membership of the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group as both these countries are key members of the elite grouping. The issue is likely to figure during Modi's meeting with Obama in Washington on June 7. India has formally applied for membership of the NSG on May 12.
(With inputs from agencies)
