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Prime Minister Narendra Modi met United States National Security Advisor Michael Waltz here at the Blair House in Washington DC, on Thursday.
The two leaders greeted each other by shaking hands and commenced the bilateral meeting. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval are also present at the meeting. Earlier this January, Waltz, who has served as the Republican chair of the US-India caucus, highlighted India's significance in the US's strategic interests. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar earlier met NSA Waltz in December last year when the two leaders held a discussion on bilateral partnership and current global issues, and Jaishankar said that he is looking forward to working with Waltz. Prime Minister Modi, who is currently on a two-day visit to the US, is scheduled to meet President Donald Trump at the White House later in the day. He will also meet Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Indian-origin entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy at the Blair House. Tech billionaire Musk, who has been appointed as special US government employee and heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will call on PM Modi and the Indian government expects to include Starlink's plans to start satellite broadband services in India, Reuters reported citing two sources, who did not want to be named as the plans are private. PM Modi will also meet Indian-origin entrepreneur and Republican leader from Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy. He had earlier been in the race for the White House but eventually pulled out. The Indian-origin entreprenuer who gained attention for his outspoken debate performances, had ended his presidential bid and threw his support behind Donald Trump whom he had earlier dubbed the "best president of 21st century". Notably, this is PM Modi's first visit to the United States after Donald Trump assumed office for the second term. PM Modi arrived in the US for a two-day visit at the invitation of US President Donald Trump. India's Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, and other officials welcomed him at the airport. Upon arrival in the US, PM Modi said that he looked forward to meeting with US President Donald Trump and building upon the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. In his departure statement, ahead of his US visit PM Modi noted that the visit will be an opportunity to build on the successes of collaboration in his first term and develop an agenda to further elevate and deepen the partnership between the two nations. (ANI)
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