Washington DC/New Delhi, Feb 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day US visit, arrived in snow-covered capital of Washington DC on Wednesday evening and received a rousing welcome by the members of the Indian diaspora.
Braving the biting cold, the Indian diaspora gathered outside the Blair House and welcomed PM Modi. Chants of "Modi, Modi" filled the air as they cheered, waving the Indian tricolour.
PM Modi took a moment and interacted with the crowd, thanking them for their warm reception. The gathering was filled with people holding flags of both India and the US, as well as posters that read "America welcomes Narendra Modi."
PM Modi took to his official ‘X’ handle and wrote, "A warm reception in the winter chill! Despite the cold weather, the Indian diaspora in Washington DC has welcomed me with a very special welcome. My gratitude to them."
The Prime Minister, who had arrived from France after attending the AI summit and holding bilateral meetings with President Emmanuel Macron, was welcomed at the airport by Indian Ambassador to the US, Vinay Kwatra, and other officials.
In his first formal official meeting after arriving, PM Modi met the Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and discussed various aspects of the India-USA friendship.
Following the meeting, PM Modi called Gabbard a strong votary and wrote on ‘X’, "Congratulated her on her confirmation. Discussed various aspects of the India-USA friendship, of which she's always been a strong votary."
Gabbard, who has met PM Modi multiple times before, had remarked after a meeting in 2019, "India is the world's largest democracy and one of the United States' most important partners in the Asia-Pacific region."
She further emphasized, "It is crucial that we continue to strengthen the partnership between our two nations, a relationship that has consistently had support from both Democrat and Republican leaders."
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) shared in a post on X that the discussions during Wednesday's meeting also focused on strengthening intelligence cooperation in areas such as counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, and emerging threats.
"PM Narendra Modi held a productive meeting with US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in Washington DC today. Discussions focused on enhancing intelligence cooperation in counter-terrorism, cybersecurity and emerging threats," the post said.
It is worth mentioning that PM Modi and Trump will hold bilateral discussions in the White House on Thursday as both leaders seek to strengthen bilateral ties. PM Modi will be the fourth global leader to meet President Trump at the White House since his inauguration on January 20. The US President has already hosted Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, and Jordan's King Abdullah in the early weeks of his second term.
