New Delhi, September 24: US President Barack Obama told External Affairs Minister S M Krishna that he was looking forward to his maiden visit to India in November and first lady Michelle is excited about the trip.
Obamas conveyed this to Indian External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna at a reception they hosted at the Natural History Museum in honour of heads of delegation attending the United Nations General Assembly.
Earlier, in his speech to the UN general assembly too he made a reference to his upcoming trip to India.Obama described India as a “thriving democracy.”I will visit India, which peacefully threw off colonialism and established a thriving democracy of over a billion people,” he said.
“Later this fall, I will travel to Asia. I will visit India, which peacefully threw off colonialism and established a thriving democracy of over a billion people,” Obama told the annual gathering of world leaders in his second address to the world body since becoming president.
Krishna had a “chance encounter” with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi on thursday at the UN for a few minutes in the parking lot. Both ministers greeted each other warmly and made inquiries about their stay in New York so far.A meeting between the two ministers is expected but nothing has been firmed up, according to Indian diplomats.
Krishna will be speaking at a special session on disarmament on Friday , and he will also attend a Security Council meeting on the situation in Sudan where a referendum is scheduled in January, which will decide whether South Sudan will secede from North Sudan.
Krishna will also meet the leaders from G4 (Brazil, India, Japan and Germany) countries that are all trying to get into the Security Council.
Later in the evening, Krishna will be hosting a reception for foreign dignitaries. Krishna is also scheduled to have a bilateral with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton later this week.
—-Agencies