PM Modi lands in New York, begins his landmark first state visit to US

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (June 20) arrived in New York on the first leg of his official State visit to the United States. PM Modi will meet top chief executive officers, Nobel laureates, economists, artists, scientists, scholars, entrepreneurs, academicians, and health sector experts during his visit.

PM Modi was greeted by officials when he landed at the JFK airport and after that, he met the Indian diaspora. The Indian prime minister then left for the hotel, where there was tight security as seen in the videos and photos shared on social media platforms.

After arriving in the US, he shared some pictures on Twitter and wrote: "Landed in New York City. Looking forward to the programmes here including interaction with thought leaders and the Yoga Day programme tomorrow, 21st June."

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Previously, Modi has visited the US a total of five times since taking oath as the prime minister in 2014. However, this particular visit has been termed as a milestone in ties between the two countries that would deepen and diversify their partnership as this will be his first with the full diplomatic status of an official state visit.

In his statement before the departure to US, PM Modi said, "I am travelling to the United States of America on a State Visit at the invitation of President Joseph Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. This special invitation is a reflection of the vigour and vitality of the partnership between our democracies."

During this visit, India and the US are expected to expand cooperation in the defence industry and high technology sectors, with India getting access to critical American technologies that Washington rarely shares with non-allies.

#WATCH | Indian Prime Minister #NarendraModi arrives in New York on first leg of his official State visit to the US

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Before emplaning for the US, PM Modi said that his discussions with Biden and other senior US leaders will provide an opportunity to consolidate bilateral cooperation as well as in plurilateral forums, such as G20, Quad and IPEF.

"During my visit, I will address a Joint Session of the US Congress at the invitation of Congressional leadership," he said, further noting that the US Congress has always provided strong bi-partisan support to India-US ties.

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PM Modi said that he is confident that the visit to the US will reinforce the ties based on shared values of democracy, diversity and freedom."Together we stand stronger in meeting the shared global challenges," he said.

Ahead of the visit, PM Modi said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that "there is an unprecedented trust" between the leaders of the US and India.

The Indian prime minister also hailed growing defence cooperation between the two countries as "an important pillar of our partnership," which he said extends to trade, technology and energy.

(With inputs from agencies)

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