Prime Minister Narendra Modi told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry here on Sunday that schools as well as both Houses of Parliament in India had observed a moment of silence to mourn the Peshawar terror attack victims, most of whom were students, and also spoke about the threat from terrorism in Pakistan, and Mr. Kerry said he “understood India’s concerns.”
Mr. Kerry will fly to Islamabad from Gandhinagar on Monday.
Mr. Modi and Mr. Kerry were speaking on the sidelines of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit.
The tone for the meeting was set during the inaugural session of the summit. Mr. Kerry entered the hall about an hour after the ceremony had begun, and proceedings were stopped for him. Mr. Kerry shook hands with many dignitaries on stage, including Chief Minister Anandiben Patel and Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, but reserved an embrace for Mr. Modi.
After lunch together, the two leaders met for talks accompanied by officials, including U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal, whose family belongs to Gujarat, and newly appointed U.S. ambassador Richard Verma, who is also of Indian origin, something Mr. Kerry referred to in his speech.
Sources said Mr. Modi told Mr. Kerry that he was looking forward to President Barack Obama’s visit to India as chief guest at the Republic Day parade, and hoped that they could “make it a memorable visit.”
While they didn’t discuss the details of the agreements to be announced, as they are being negotiated by official delegations in Delhi and Washington this week, they spoke about easing the roadblocks for investment by reviving the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) talks and “making some movement” on nuclear issues.
Both leaders talked at length on climate change issues that came up during the Gujarat summit speeches. requirements.
