From June 21 to June 24 – US State Visit – First at UN
Headquarters at New York to lead 9th Annual International Day of Yoga and then to White House Washington DC.
From June 24 to June 25 – Modi’s Egypt Visit was on the
invitation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Modi’s Egypt visit is his first
official visit as PM and the last visit by the Indian PM earlier was in 1997 –
After a gap of 26 years, Modi’s visit happened.
When a leader undertakes a state visit, the head of state of
the destination country acts as the former's official host throughout the
duration of the trip. Such a visit always includes a state reception by the
host for the guest. US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden had
honoured PM Modi with a state dinner.
A state visit is usually reserved only for ‘closest friends
and allies.’ It, therefore, signifies the highest expression of friendly
bilateral ties between two sovereign nations.
How is a state visit different from an official visit?
The Official visit involves much less pomp and show than the
State Visit. An official visit, also sometimes known as official working visit
or working visit, may include an official dinner, which, however, is nowhere
near as glittering as a state dinner.
Also, a state visit is usually undertaken by a head of state,
and not the head of government. Modi's trip, therefore, is significant as the
President is the head of state in India, and the prime minister, the head of
government. The US President is both the head of state and government. Before
Modi, only 2 Indian leaders have been hosted by the United States as an
official state guest: President S Radhakrishnan in June 1963, and PM Manmohan
Singh in November 2009.
The First Programme of Modi’s US Trip was to lead the 9th
International Yoga Day – 21st June at North Lawn area outside the United
Nations headquarters in New York wherein roughly 1,000 participants which
included 135 nationalities had set World Record for yoga session.
The event was special tribute to Modi, as he alone persuaded
the U.N. to observe Yoga Day annually soon after he became India’s PM in 2014
and the UN was enthusiastically accepted his request.
The Media was all praise for Modi with the reports of: Red
carpets and yellow yoga mats - Not many state visits start with yoga. But Modi
not only walked the red carpet, he stretched out on a yellow yoga mat.”
Modi’s message to his fellow yoga enthusiasts: "Let's
use the power of yoga, not only to be healthy, happy, but to be kind to
ourselves and each other.”
Royal Red Carpet Welcome was accorded to Modi In US wherever
he went. It was also a great day for India, as both Democrats and Republicans
welcomed Modi and had enthusiastically gave standing ovations to Modi when he
addressed Joint Sessions of Congress.
Standing next to Modi on the White House South Lawn, Biden
said he has long believed that the relationship between the United States and
India will be “one of the defining relationships of the 21st century.”
The night before the official state dinner, the Bidens hosted
Modi for a private dinner at the White House, where they dined on a few of the
president’s favorite foods, including pasta and ice cream. The menu for the
official state dinner on Thursday the 22nd June catered to Modi’s palate. Modi
is a vegetarian, so the 400 invited guests were served an entirely plant-based
meal. The first lady enlisted the help of Chef Nina Curtis, who specializes in
plant-based cooking, to work with White House chefs to come up with the menu.
These high-profile events were intended to reflect the two
countries’ shared commitment to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region
and signify that the United States sees India as a critical partner. Judging by
the attention paid to Modi’s arrival and the deals announced, both countries
came away with winning outcomes, singly and jointly.
The Biden administration promised to help India increase
production of electric vehicles and meet its goal of installing 500 gigawatts
of wind, solar, and other renewable energy this decade. U.S. memory chip firm
Micron Technology will invest up to $825 million in a new chip assembly and
test plant in Gujarat, which will be its first factory in India. On
immigration, which has been a thorny issue, the United States agreed to allow a
small number of Indians on H-1B visas to renew them in the United States
without traveling abroad.
There were also material wins. Indian solar panel maker
Vikram Solar Limited will invest up to $1.5 billion in the U.S. solar energy
supply chain. India has also agreed to join the U.S.-led Artemis Accords on
space exploration and will work with NASA on a joint mission to the
International Space Station in 2024.
In a huge political win for the Biden administration, India
will remove retaliatory tariffs imposed on U.S. products such as chickpeas and
apples without the expectation that the United States will remove its own
tariffs on steel and aluminum imports that had initially led to these
retaliatory tariffs.
Perhaps most importantly, both countries scored wins in their
defense and strategic partnership. U.S. Company General Electric has signed a
memorandum of understanding with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to produce
fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force.
India’s defense ministry has approved the purchase of armed
MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones (a type of Predator drone) made by General Atomics,
which will enhance the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance
capabilities of India’s armed forces across domains.
Currently, only some U.S. allies own Predator drones. The two
countries also established a Joint Indo-U.S. Quantum Coordination Mechanism to
facilitate joint research between public and private sectors and launched the
INDUS-X partnership to expand their strategic technology and defense industrial
cooperation. India also agreed to join the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP),
a U.S.-led partnership with twelve other countries plus the European Union, to
create critical energy minerals supply chains.
Modi had given Joe Biden and Jill Biden special gifts.
A book titled ‘The Ten Principal Upanishads’, written by Shri Purohit Swami and Irish poet W.B. Yeats was presented to Biden.
Biden has always expressed his adoration for Yeats’ poetry and made references to his work in his speeches.
A lab-grown 7.5-carat green diamond was gifted to US First Lady Jill Biden. The diamond reflects earth-mined diamonds’ chemical and optical properties. It is also eco-friendly, as eco-diversified resources like solar and wind power were used in its making. It is a beacon of responsible luxury that symbolises India’s 75 years of freedom and sustainable International relations.
The first couple of the United States gifted a handmade, antique American book galley from the early 20th Century as the official gift to the Prime Minister along with a vintage American camera, accompanied by an archival facsimile print of George Eastman’s Patent of the first Kodak camera, a hardcover book on American wildlife photography, and a signed, first edition copy of 'Collected Poems of Robert Frost'.
MODI’S OFFICIAL VISIT TO EGYPT
India's ambassador at Egypt said:India's multi-faceted relations with Egypt, which was elevated to a ‘Strategic Partnership’ this year, will receive further impetus with the first state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to this key Middle East nation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the Exchange of MOUs/ Strategic Partnership document during their meeting at President House, in Cairo on June 25.
“The four agreements that were signed during the visit (June
24-25) of the honourable Prime Minister — first, the most important, and a
landmark development in the history of [the] bilateral relationship was the
signature on the strategic partnership between India and Egypt. It was signed
by the Honourable Prime Minister Modi and the Honourable President El Sisi of
Egypt,” Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra announced.
Modi said the green and renewable collaboration will be an
important part of future partnership with Egypt because of the importance that
the two sides attach to clean energy.
Three Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) in the fields of
agriculture, archaeology and antiquities, and competition law were also signed.
During the official discussion held at the Al-Ittihadiya
Palace of Cairo, the two leaders noted that the newly formed ‘India Unit’ in
the Egyptian Cabinet will be a “useful tool in steering bilateral
collaborations.
In a special gesture from President Sisi, Prime Minister Modi received the Order of the Nile, the topmost state honour of Egypt. Among the past recipients of this honour were the late Sultan Qaboos (the ruler of Oman), Nelson Mandela and the late President of Indonesia Suharto.
Modi :
Deeply moved by the warm welcome from the Indian diaspora in
Egypt. Their support and affection truly embody the timeless bonds of our
nations. Also noteworthy was people from Egypt wearing Indian dresses. Truly, a
celebration of our shared cultural linkages.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Al-Hakim
mosque in Cairo in Egypt
Modi had invited Sisi for the upcoming G-20 summit to be held
in September 2023 as “Guest Country” as a special honour.
INDIA’S IMAGE AFTER MODI BECAME THE PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA
HAD GROWN TO THE HIMALAYAN HEIGHTS AND WORLD STARTED LOOKING INDIA FOR ITS
LEADERSHIP.
VANDE MATARAM – JAI HO MODI.
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