Exuding confidence that his five-day trip to the US will mark a “new chapter” in bilateral strategic ties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday embarked on his first visit to the US where he would have engagements with President Barack Obama, business magnates and head honchos.
The Prime Minister said he would discuss with Obama how Indo-US ties can be taken to a “new level” in the interest of the two countries as well as of the world.
Obama will host a rare private dinner for Modi at the White House on September 29 ahead of summit-level talks the next day. The two leaders will be meeting each other for the first time.
Modi is expected to have only tea and lemonade at the dinner as his US visit coincides with the Navratri fast which he religiously observes every year. In New York, Modi will deliver his maiden address at the UN General Assembly on Saturday and on Sunday he would address an Indian-American meeting organized in the same city at Madison Square Garden.
“I will discuss with President Obama how we can use the strength of all that we share and all that we have built so far to take our relationship to a new level in the interest of our two countries and the cause of this world. I am confident that the visit will mark the start of a new chapter in our strategic partnership,” he said in a statement before he took off on a special Air India plane.
Modi will have a stopover in Frankfurt Thursday night and will reach New York on Friday and later proceed to Washington on September 29.
“I see the United States as a vital partner for our national development, drawing especially on the rich possibilities of partnership in education, skills, research, technology and innovation — and, above all, a shared commitment to human values.
“Working together, and with others, we can bridge the many divisions of our times and contribute to building a more peaceful, stable, secure, sustainable and prosperous world,” the Prime Minister said.
Modi would be meeting as many as 11 top corporate honchos over breakfast on September 29 apart from one-on-one meetings with six more business captains the same day in New York. He will also be participating in a business meet, to be organised by USIBC that is expected to be attended by 300-400 businessmen in Washington on September 30.
“I look forward to meeting business leaders to invite them to participate more actively in India’s economic growth and transformation. This is message that I will also convey to the US business community in Washington DC,” he said.