The White House issued a joint statement of India and US governments after the bilateral talks got over saying both leaders lauded the progress in the two countries’ ties.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday (8) met US president Joe Biden for bilateral talks at his residence in New Delhi hours after the latter reached the Indian capital for the G20 summit beginning Saturday (9). They had a closed door meeting which was also attended by US treasury secretary Janet Yellen.
The Indian prime minister’s office (PMO) shared photos of the two leaders holding talks on “a wide range of issues (that) will further deepen bond between India and the US”.
Prime Minister @narendramodi and @POTUS @JoeBiden are holding talks at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in Delhi.
Their discussions include a wide range of issues and will further deepen the bond between India and USA. ?? ?? pic.twitter.com/PWGBOZIwNT
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 8, 2023
A number of issues, including a deal for jet engines, procurement of predator drones and collaboration on critical technologies such as 5G and 6G networks were likely to be discussed during the meeting, official sources said.
There was also talk over a major rail deal but US national security advisor Jake Sullivan did not confirm these reports, NDTV reported.
The White House issued a joint statement of India and US governments after the bilateral talks got over.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed United States President Biden to India today, reaffirming the close and enduring partnership between India and the United States. The leaders expressed their appreciation for the substantial progress underway to implement the ground breaking… pic.twitter.com/Ym81wCBPqK
— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023
“The leaders expressed their appreciation for the substantial progress underway to implement the ground-breaking achievements of Prime Minister Modi’s historic, June 2023, visit to Washington”, the statement read.
The statement also said that the two leaders welcomed completion of the Congressional Notification process on August 29 and the commencement of talks for a commercial agreement between the US’s GE Aerospace and India’s Hindustan Aeronautical Limited to manufacture GE F-414 jet engines in India. It said they also “recommitted to work collaboratively and expeditiously to support the advancement of this unprecedented co-production and technology transfer proposal”.
Modi and Biden also reaffirmed the importance of the four-nation Quad group in supporting a free, open, inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific. The two leaders also called on their respective governments to continue working towards transforming the Indo-Pacific partnership in all dimensions.
The two leaders have had several meetings, in-person or virtual, since Biden took office in 2021 as both look to tighten the US-India partnership amid shared concerns, including an increasingly assertive China and other challenges such as climate change, global supply chain resilience, among others.
Biden reached India on a day when a number of world leaders set foot on the south Asian country’s soil for the mega event.