He is expected to address the joint meeting of the US Congress, which is a rare honour.
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He will also hold talks on trade, energy and global security with president Barack Obama, whose term ends in January.
These include through the US-India Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) where among others things the two sides are looking at cooperation in projects related to aircraft carrier technology and jet engine technology.
“The real image that India has in Afghanistan is as a partner which has stood by… through its hard times, a partner which has contributed immensely to Afghanistan’s development, unlike some partners who have contributed to instability and terrorism”, Swarup said, in an apparent reference to Pakistan. From the USA, he will travel to Mexico before returning home on Thursday. The US, Switzerland and Mexico are NSG members. The PM will meet business leaders to invest more in India, particularly in renewable energy and vocational education.
“The economic engagement between our two countries should increase and it should be more accessible for USA companies”, Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a telephone interview.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Vikas Swarup added: “It also highlights India’s continued commitment to Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development”. Governments are for the poor.we have to defeat poverty.
But the travel has gone both ways in recent years.
This will be Modi’s second visit in six months to war-torn Afghanistan, with which India shares a close relationship. The NSG has already made one exception for us.
A second possible item on the agenda is the DTTI – the fact that India and the U.S. talk about defence trade and technology collaboration itself is a big deal and shows the maturity of the relationship.
“Obviously, countries which feel that what we are doing is the right thing, if they take it up on themselves to articulate their positions, and talk to others, this is what friends do for each other”, Jaishankar said. No commercial agreement has yet been signed.
According to the Indian Consulate in western Herat province, the dam reservoir will be 20 kilometer long and 3 kilometer wide. There will be a limit to how much liability American firms will bear but many caveats remain.
“It has been very supportive of India”, he said. Two-thirds of our energy supply come from the Gulf. “Today, we specifically put numbers”, Mr Jaishankar said.
The visit will consolidate “what has been achieved so far and seeing what more can be done as we move into the next year when there will be transition of the administration in the US and also elections to the US Congress”.
India officially applied for the membership of the 48-member NSG on May 12.
In Afghanistan tomorrow, he will join Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to inaugurate the Afghanistan-India Friendship Dam in Herat. “We have received support from Swiss authorities on exchange of information on tax data”.
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In Switzerland, Modi is expected to speak to leaders about Indian black money in Swiss banks, an issue the National Democratic Alliance government has been vocal about.
