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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US will provide an opportunity to build on the strong India-US Global Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and set an ambitious agenda for a mutually beneficial and trusted relationship across all sectors, an official statement said.
PM Modi will visit the US on February 12-13 at the invitation of US President Donald Trump. This is the first meeting between the two leaders after President Trump assumed office for his second term. Previously, PM Modi visited the USA in June 2017 and hosted President Trump for a state visit to India in February 2020. The two leaders have also spoken on the phone twice since November 2024 (on November 6, 2024 and January 27, 2025). In early engagement with the new administration, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar represented the Prime Minister at the inauguration ceremony of Trump. During the visit, Jaishankar also met Secretary of State Marco Rubio and participated in the QUAD Foreign Ministers' meeting in January. During the first Trump administration, the Indo-Pacific region gained significant attention as a key strategic area in US foreign policy. In concert with Japan, Australia, the US and India reinvigorated the Quadrilateral Dialogue. Trump administration took the lead in promoting QUAD from a senior-official level dialogue to a ministerial-level dialogue. Under the Biden administration QUAD was elevated to a Leaders summit. India-USA ties were elevated to Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership during President Trump's visit to India in February 2020. India has contracted for more than USD 20 billion US-origin defence articles since 2008. Major USorigin platforms in use include C-130J, C-17, Apache, Chinook, MH60R helicopters, and P8I India-US Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap of May 2023. The India-US defence cooperation is based on "New Framework for India-US Defence Cooperation" which was renewed for ten years in 2015. Defence cooperation is multifaceted and includes regular bilateral dialogue, military exercises and defence procurement. Cultural cooperation is rich and manifests in diverse ways. India-USA signed the first ever 'Cultural Property Agreement' in July 2024 to prevent and curb the illicit trafficking of antiquities. US has returned 578 antiquities to India since 2016. USA is one of the most favoured destination for Indian students wanting to pursue higher education. Indian American community is one of the most successful and well assimilated communities in the USA. (ANI)
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