“We are committed to a mutually beneficial and trusted partnership. We will work together for the welfare of our people and towards global peace, prosperity, and security,” said Mr. Modi in a social media message after the conversation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (January 27, 2025) spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump and said, both sides will work for “global peace” and “security”. The conversation came a week after Mr Trump was sworn to office for his second term in a glittering ceremony in Washington DC where External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar participated as the representative of the Government of India.
“Delighted to speak with my dear friend President Donald Trump. Congratulated him on his historic second term. We are committed to a mutually beneficial and trusted partnership. We will work together for the welfare of our people and towards global peace, prosperity, and security,” said Mr. Modi in a social media message after the conversation.
Trump calls for fair India-U.S. trade
The White House announced that Mr. Trump and Mr. Modi discussed plans for PM Modi to visit Washington, indicating the visit could take place soon. In its readout, the White House called the Trump-Modi call “productive” as the two leaders discussed strengthening cooperation and security issues in the “Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, and Europe”.
“The [U.S.] President emphasized the importance of India increasing its procurement of American-made security equipment and moving toward a fair bilateral trading relationship,” the readout added, in a possible referrence to Mr. Trump’s repeated allegations that India imposes high tarriffs on imports. “Both leaders emphasized their commitment to advance the U.S.-India strategic partnership and the Indo-Pacific Quad partnership, with India hosting Quad Leaders for the first time later this year,” it added.
Since taking charge Mr. Trump has spoken with President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the U.K. and King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain. Apart from telephone conversations President Trump has also taken to social media declaring a new aggressive policy on immigration for Colombia. Immigration, H1B visa and tariffs are also matters that are relevant to India-US relation.
The conversation between Mr Trump and Mr Modi marks the resumption of direct contact between the two leaders who had struck a rapport during the former’s first tenure during 2017-’21.
Mr. Modi had earlier greeted Mr Trump last week, saying that he would work with the U.S. leader for the “benefit” of both India and the US. “I look forward to working closely together once again, to benefit both our countries, and to shape a better future for the world,” said Mr. Modi in his message sent on January 20.
Reports suggest that Mr. Modi might visit Washington before Mr. Trump is due in India for the Quad Summit later this year.
External Affairs Minister Jaishankar participated in the swearing-in ceremony and some of the events that took place after the main event. The Hindu had reported earlier that the Trump administration had not sent invite for Prime Minister Modi to attend the inauguration ceremony in Washington DC.
Mr Jaishankar also met with the newly appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya for a quadrilateral ministerial that took place immediately after the swearing-in. Mr. Trump visited India in February 2020, which coincided with the early phase of the pandemic. He was welcomed at the Motera stadium in Gandhinagar by Mr. Modi and a large audience. Mr. Trump’s visit to Delhi during that trip will be remembered for the overall security situation as parts of the city were rocked by communal violence as he was hosted at Hyderabad House.
Prior to that Mr. Modi was welcomed by President Trump in the White House in June 2017. The two leaders met in November 2017 on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Phillipino capital Manila. Both participated in the landmark Howdy Modi event in Houston when PM Modi visited the US in September 2019, soon after being re-elected. Mr Trump made an early outreach to PM Modi on 18 September 2024 during the campaign trail when he described Mr Modi as a “fantastic man” adding he was “coming to meet” him in the US. That meeting however did not take place.
Article Source: thehindu.com