Apart from First Lady Melania, President Trump will be accompanied by a high-level delegation during the trip which will take him to Ahmedabad, Agra, and New Delhi.
Gujarat police's bomb detection disposal squad officials along with a sniffer dog inspect a stage displaying pictures of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L), US President Donald Trump (C) and First Lady Melania Trump (R), on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on February 23, 2020, ahead of Trump's visit to India. Trade ties between the United States and India have long been problematic but under "America First" President Donald Trump and "Make in India" Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they have worsened. While eclipsed by his trade war with China, Trump's tussle with India, and New Delhi's prickly reaction, has made a major pact unlikely during the American president's visit to the world's fifth-largest economy from February 24. (SAM PANTHAKY / AFP)
US President Donald Trump is all set to arrive in India tomorrow on a two-day landmark visit that is expected to give an impetus to ties between the two countries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, keenly waiting for the arrival of his guest from Washington, this evening tweeted, ”India looks forward to welcoming @POTUS@realDonaldTrump. It is an honour that he will be with us tomorrow, starting with the historic programme in Ahmedabad.”
India looks forward to welcoming @POTUS @realDonaldTrump.
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It is an honour that he will be with us tomorrow, starting with the historic programme in Ahmedabad! https://t.co/fAVx9OUu1j
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 23, 2020
Apart from First Lady Melania, President Trump will be accompanied by a high-level delegation during the trip which will take him to Ahmedabad, Agra, and New Delhi.
The delegation will include Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette, Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, and National Security Advisor Robert O’ Brien. Trump’s daughter Ivanka, and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who serve as Assistant to the President and Senior Adviser to the President respectively, will also be there in the delegation.
This will be the first stand-alone visit by an American President to India and both sides are confident that Trump and Modi, given the personal chemistry between them, will take bilateral ties to new heights.
Though the much-anticipated trade deal is highly unlikely, the two countries are expected to sign at least five MoUs, including those on homeland security and trade facilitation. A major defence pact also is on the table.
The External Affairs Ministry this evening released the exact programme of President Trump and his team during the two-day trip. The American leader will arrive at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad at 1140 hrs tomorrow. Prime Minister Modi will personally receive Trump there.
He will first visit the Sabarmati Ashram before being accorded a public reception at the Motera Stadium, the world’s largest stadium. The ‘Namaste Trump’ event at the Motera Stadium will be similar to the ‘Howdy Modi’ event held in the US during Modi’s visit in September last year.
From Ahmedabad, Trump and the First Lady will fly to Agra to see the majestic Taj Mahal. They will arrive in New Delhi late in the evening.
On 25 February, Trump will be given a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. He will then visit the ‘samadhi’ of Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat before going into official talks with Modi at the Hyderabad House. The two leaders are expected to discuss a range of bilateral issues as well as regional and global developments. This will be followed by the agreement-signing ceremony.
President Ram Nath Kovind will host a dinner in honour of President Trump in the evening before the American delegation departs for Washington, concluding a 36-hour action-packed visit to India.
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