US President Joe Biden has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a state visit to the US in the summer, the months of June-July. If things materialise, this would be Modi's first state visit to the US, though he has been to the country multiple times on working visits, especially to the UN in New York.
The Prime Minister has accepted the invitation in principle and the officials on both sides are working on mutually convenient dates, according to PTI.
The report added that officials from the two sides are looking for appropriate dates in June and July when not only both the US House of Representatives and the Senate are in session but also when the Prime Minister has a couple of days at his disposal when he does not have a predetermined domestic commitment or international engagements.
The visit will include an address to the joint session of the US Congress and a state dinner at the White House.
The invitation comes as India is hosting the G-20 summit in September, which will see the participation of world leaders, including President Biden.
However, it is not clear when this invitation was delivered and who delivered this personal invitation from Biden to the Prime Minister's Office.
According to a senior administration official, Biden believes the partnership between India and the United States is essential to address major global challenges. "President Biden views that as two of the world's leading knowledge economies, this partnership is essential. He believes that no successful and enduring effort to address any of the major challenges that the world faces today, whether we're looking at food or energy or health security, the climate crisis, or upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific, going to work without a US-India partnership at its heart," a senior administration official told a group of Indian reporters here.
The last time an Indian Prime Minister was invited for a state visit was in November 2009 when President Obama hosted Dr Manmohan Singh at the White House. After Biden assumed office, he invited French President Emanuel Macron for a state visit in December 2022, the only premier to have received it so far.
Meanwhile, India's National Security Advisor Ajit K Doval along with his American counterpart Jake Sullivan launched the India-US initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies or iCET on Tuesday, which the White House views as "extremely important."
