U.S. Secretary of Defence James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday morning, setting the stage for his first meeting with President Donald Trump.
Both Secretaries reiterated the Trump administration’s “strong desire to consolidate the gains made in the multidimensional ties,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay said. Mr. Tillerson told Mr. Modi that the President was “eagerly looking forward” to their meeting. The President will later host Mr. Modi and the Indian delegation for a working dinner at the White House.
Just as Mr. Tillerson was meeting Mr. Modi, the State Department issued a notification, naming Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) leader Syed Salahuddin a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).” A statement said Mr. Salahuddin “vowed to block any peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict, threatened to train more Kashmiri suicide bombers, and vowed to turn the Kashmir Valley into a graveyard for Indian forces.”
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The spokesperson said Mr. Modi and the Secretaries discussed terrorism and counter-terrorism cooperation between the two countries, but given the nature of the courtesy calls, no specifics were discussed. The Trump administration has a “strong desire to build on the momentum in bilateral ties,” said Munu Muhawar, JS (Americas). Mr. Baglay said the security situation in Afghanistan and need for India-U.S. cooperation in the resolution of the conflict figured in the conversations, but no specific points were discussed.
Aligning the cooperation between the two countries in defence, security and commercial sectors to Mr. Trump’s domestic political agenda will be the aim of India’s outreach to Mr. Trump and his officials. Mr. Modi, who presented India’s growth prospects as a great opportunity for American business before CEOs of prominent companies on Sunday, further emphasised the point in an oped article in the Wall Street Journal . Mr. Modi also underscored the convergence in strategic interests between the two countries, and Mr. Mattis opened his conversation with the PM by citing the piece.
Indian and American officials have done extensive preparatory work for the meeting between the two leaders that could set the course and character of bilateral ties for years to come.
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Indian officials have been eager to keep the expectations low in the run-up to the visit, but on Monday morning, a senior functionary of the Indian government said the visit is turning out to be “historic”.
Market access issues, intellectual property rights protection issues in India, pending issues in defence ties, and the Modi government’s crackdown on American NGOs in India could be potential irritants.
From his first visit in 2014 onward, Mr. Modi has sought to woo the U.S. by presenting India as a rare confluence of “democracy, demand, and demography” and a country with commercial and security interests matching America’s.