Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.
Credit: PTI File Photo
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated his ‘dear friend’ Donald Trump, who took over as the United States president, even as the officials of the two nations were in touch to explore the possibility of an early meeting between the two leaders, possibly in Paris as early as on February 10 or 11.
“Congratulations my dear friend President @realDonaldTrump on your historic inauguration as the 47th President of the United States!” Modi posted on X soon after Trump took oath in Washington DC. “I look forward to working closely together once again, to benefit both our countries and to shape a better future for the world.”
The prime minister conveyed his best wishes to the new US president “for a successful term ahead”. He had also called Trump immediately after the Republican Party’s candidate beat the Democratic Party’s bet Kamala Harris in the November 6 presidential polls in the US.
A summit on Artificial Intelligence in Paris next month may offer the first opportunity for Modi and Trump to meet after the change of guard in the White House in Washington DC on Monday. Both Trump, who returned to the White House after four years, and Modi have been invited by French President Emmanuel Macron to attend the AI Action Summit, which would be held in Paris on February 10 and 11.
Macron recently told journalists that Modi had already confirmed his visit to Paris to attend the AI Action summit.
Trump, however, has not yet confirmed if he would attend the summit in Paris.
A source in New Delhi said that Indian and American diplomats were in touch to explore the possibility of the prime minister and the US president holding a bilateral meeting on the sideline of the AI Action summit in Paris.
Trump may also travel to New Delhi later this year to attend the Quad summit, which Modi would host.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended the US presidential inauguration ceremony in Washington DC as a representative of the Government of India.