U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday landed in Ahmedabad to attend the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, and to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of President Barack Obama’s visit to New Delhi in two weeks.
Mr. Kerry, who will address the business summit on Sunday night, will also travel to Sanand to see the Ford motor assembly plant, a one billion dollar facility which is expected to be operational soon.
Mr. Kerry is accompanied by a delegation of about 80, including several businessmen who will attend the Global CEO Conclave, that PM Modi and U.N. Secretary General Ban ki-moon will address.
The conclave this year, the 7th since 2003 when then Chief Minister Modi set it up, is unique in many ways. It is the first time that the Prime Minister is attending the State summit, and will make a pitch for investment along with world leaders like the U.N. Secretary General and John Kerry.
The 2013 summit had seen MoUs worth Rs. 10 lakh crore signed reportedly, although several studies have been skeptical about the actual operationalisation of most of them. The Gujarat government has not released any data on the figure.
Mr. Kerry will meet Mr. Modi on Monday and discuss the agenda for President Obama’s visit. Many details remain to be finalised, as India-U.S. official delegations are meeting in Delhi and Washington only this week to discuss the MoUs and agreements likely to be signed. However, Mr. Kerry is expected to brief Mr. Modi on the progress in talks on the big announcements expected in Delhi, including the defence strategic framework, a digital partnership, nuclear negotiations, and a deal on climate change and renewable energy.
The two countries are also likely to announce measures on counter-terrorism cooperation, particularly on information sharing and curbing terror financing. India-Pakistan firings at the Line of Control and International Border, as well as concerns about terrorist strikes are likely to come up during the talks, especially as Mr. Kerry will head directly to Islamabad from Ahmedabad.
