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Modi to Address US Indian Diaspora

by VOA News

   Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address members of
   the Indian diaspora in Washington and surrounding areas on Sunday
   during his first visit to the U.S. under the Trump administration.

   The event is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at the high-end Tysons
   Corner Ritz-Carlton hotel in Northern Virginia. Unlike Modi's famous
   reception in 2014 at the Madison Square Garden in New York, which was
   attended by tens of thousands of people, Sunday's reception is
   invitation-only.

   Dozens of Indians and Indian Americans waited at Joint Base Andrews to
   greet Prime Minister Modi as he landed near the U.S. capital Saturday
   night.

   Modi will meet with President Trump at the White House on Monday for
   the first face-to-face discussion between the two leaders. Ahead of the
   meeting, Trump tweeted Saturday that he was looking forward to
   discussing strategic issues with a "true friend".

   The two governments are working on a joint statement about fighting
   terrorism, and a senior White House official says: "We can expect to
   see some new initiatives on counterterrorism cooperation."

   There is angst in New Delhi that Trump has not paid adequate attention
   to India, but Trump has generally been positive about India in public
   messaging. He previously visited Mumbai as a businessman, and he has
   Trump-branded properties in the country.

   Modi, who like Trump, came into politics from a business background, is
   also expected to meet with a number of American CEOs, securing a deal
   with California drone-maker General Atomics for the sale of 22 Guardian
   (MQ-9) unarmed drones to India's navy for maritime patrolling, as well
   a tentative deal with Lockheed Martin and Tata Advanced Systems to
   produce F-16 fighter jets in India.