US First lady Melania Trump would join President Donald Trump to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House on Monday.
Modi, who arrived at Washington DC on Saturday night at the invitation of the US President, is scheduled to spend more than four hours at the White House.
After being received by Trump and the First lady in the South Portico of the White House, the two leaders are expected to have a one-on-one meeting in the Oval Office. This would-be Modi’s third meeting with a US President inside the Oval Office, the first two being with Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama in September 2014 and June 2016.
Thereafter the two leaders would be joined by their respective delegations in the adjoining Cabinet Room.
The US side is likely to be represented by Vice-President Mike Pence, Defence Secretary James Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and National Security Advisor lt Gen HR McMaster.
The Prime Minister is expected to be joined among others by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and the Indian Ambassador to the US, Navtej Sarna.
Thereafter Modi and Trump would head to the Rose Garden to make joint remarks to a large battery of from the mainstream American media, a group of foreign journalists and the travelling Indian media.
In their remarks, the two leaders are expected to lay their visions for the India-US relationship.
According to a senior White House official, the two leaders are not expected to take any questions. But this might change. A joint India-US statement is also likely to be issued.
After their media interaction, Trump joined by the First lady would host the Prime Minister and the visiting Indian delegation for a dinner in the historic Blue Room of the White House. Modi would leave
the White House later in the night with both the First lady and Trump participating in the departure ceremony.