Foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra gave a detailed presentation to union ministers on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s United States visit saying “the American attention to the Indian PM was very high” and the “PM’s leadership was the driver of difference as Modi is seen as a senior world leader who leads with values and has a vision for his country as well as the world”, CNN-News18 has learnt.
This was during the five-hour-long Council of Ministers meeting on Monday where the Prime Minister was present. Sources say the foreign secretary’s presentation dwelt on the “multi-layer and bi-partisan engagement” during the PM’s visit to the US and the impact of the visit in terms of deliverables like the jet engine deal and the Micron semiconductor deal. A source said Kwatra also remarked that “there is strategic convergence between India and US at this time”.
Sources say the foreign secretary’s presentation was divided into various aspects like the “form” of the visit, its “extent”, the “substance”, and the “outcomes”.
Form
Kwatra told the ministers that in terms of “form’, this was a state visit with a ceremonial welcome and the US attention to Modi was very high given that President Joe Biden met Modi several times during the three-day visit, hosted a private dinner for him, and also came for the India-US Hi-Tech Handshake event along with the PM. Kwatra also cited the lunch hosted by the US Vice President.
Extent
In terms of the “extent”, the foreign secretary told the ministers that this visit saw Modi’s second address to the US Congress as well as a multi-layer and bipartisan engagement from both sides of the political spectrum in the United States. The visit also saw the participation of the US government, US Congress, and US business leaders with major companies like GE, Microsoft, Google, Boeing, and US tech giants coming to meet Modi. The foreign secretary also is said to have cited how 8,000 members of the Indian diaspora met the PM during the visit.
Substance
On the “substance” of the visit, the ministers were briefed that the “driver of difference was the PM’s leadership as Modi is seen as a senior world leader who leads with values and has a vision not just for his country but the world”, sources told CNN-News18. The foreign secretary is said to have told the ministers that the PM’s visit was “impactful” and there is “strategic convergence between India and US at this time.”
Outcomes
In terms of “outcomes”, the foreign secretary listed out a number of deals and deliverables achieved from the visit in the areas of defence, manufacturing, the jet engine deal, and the Micron investment for semiconductors. The ministers were told that India is seen as a “trusted technology partner” by the US and that a Google fin-tech centre will come up in India. Defence cooperation was cited as the big takeaway from the PM’s visit.
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