Washington: The United States has said that it is looking forward to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the country next week and asserted that they wanted it to be a successful visit in all aspects.
“We look forward to the Prime Minister’s visit and we want it to be successful,” State Department Spokesman John Kirby said in a press briefing here.
He further said that when U.S. held talks with Indian officials, the topics ranged from regional to global issues and were not only limited to discussions about the two nations.
“There’s no question that in routine meetings, bilateral meetings, with Indian officials we talk about all manner of regional, even global issues. They’re not just about issues between the United States and India,” Kirby added.
Prime Minister Modi will embark on a five nation tour that kicks off next week, where he will first head to Afghanistan on June 4 and from there to Qatar on June 5 for a bilateral visit.
Then the Prime Minister will fly to Switzerland on June 6 and then to the United States for a bilateral visit on June 7 and June 8.
He will be addressing a joint session of the US Congress on June 8.
According to reports, he is then expected to visit Mexico before returning home on June 10.
He will be the fifth Indian Prime Minister to address a joint meeting of Congress, and the first since 2005.
The first-ever Indian premier to make such a speech was Rajiv Gandhi in 1985, followed by P.V. Narasimha Rao in 1994 and Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2000.
Prime Minister Modi will be the fifth, speaking 11 years after his predecessor, Congress leader Manmohan Singh.
Every full-term prime minister since 1984 has addressed a joint meeting of the House and Senate. (ANI)