Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi commenced his visit to the United States with a meeting with Tulsi Gabbard, shortly after she was confirmed as the U.S. Director of National Intelligence. PM Modi shared a picture with Gabbard on X (formerly Twitter), mentioning that they discussed various aspects of the India-U.S. friendship.
"Met the United States Director of National Intelligence, @TulsiGabbard, in Washington, D.C. Congratulations to her on her confirmation. Discussed various aspects of the India-U.S. friendship, of which she has always been a strong advocate," the Prime Minister wrote in his post on X.
Following a contentious Senate hearing at the White House on Wednesday, Tulsi Gabbard was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Director of National Intelligence, after being nominated by President Donald Trump.
Although some Republicans were initially hesitant, they eventually rallied behind her nomination. Once in office, the Hindu lawmaker from Hawaii will oversee the country’s 18 intelligence agencies.
On Wednesday, PM Modi landed in Washington, D.C., where he received a grand welcome by the Indian community. The two-day visit to the USA was at the invitation of President Trump, with whom he had developed a strong rapport during Trump's first term.
"I just landed in Washington, D.C. Excited to meet POTUS Donald Trump and strengthen our India-U.S. Comprehensive Global Strategic Cooperation. Our countries will continue to collaborate for our people and upraise the future of our world," wrote PM Modi on X.
While in Washington, the Prime Minister will be staying at Blair House, situated at 1651 Pennsylvania Avenue, across from the White House. This historic residence covers an impressive area of 70,000 square feet and has housed many Presidents, Royalty, and world leaders. PM Modi had expressed that the purpose of his trip to Washington was to step up the collaborations at present and work on setting new frameworks for partnership between the nations in question.
"This will be our first meeting following his historic electoral victory and inauguration in January. However, I fondly recall our collaboration during his first term in establishing a Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership between India and the U.S.," the Prime Minister stated.
This visit presents an opportunity to build on the achievements of our collaboration during his first term and develop a roadmap to enhance and strengthen our partnership, particularly in key areas such as technology, trade, defense, energy, and supply chain resilience. "We intend to collaborate for the benefit of our nations and a brighter future for the world," he added.
Following Trump's victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, the two leaders have spoken twice over the phone.
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