PM Modi to meet Trump next week; co-chair AI summit in France with President Macron

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a two-day working visit to the US from February 12 during which he will hold a bilateral meeting with President Donald Trump and interact with business leaders and members of the Indian community.

At a special briefing, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said PM Modi's visit will give further direction and momentum to this "important partnership".

The prime minister's visit to the US at the invitation of President Trump, weeks after his inauguration, shows the "importance of India-US partnership and is also reflective of the bipartisan support that this partnership enjoys in the US," the foreign secretary said.

It will be a "valuable opportunity" to engage the new administration in all areas of mutual interest, he said.

PM Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with President Trump in both restricted and delegation-level formats, he said.

"There is an obvious convergence of interests between the two countries in a number of areas -- trade, investment, technology, defence cooperation, counterterrorism, Indo-Pacific security, and of course, people-to-people relations," he said.

"The 5.4 million-strong Indian community in the US and the more than 3,50,000 students from India who are pursuing studies in universities strengthen this bond immeasurably," Misri said.

"The prime minister's visit to the United States will give further direction and momentum to this important partnership. We expect a joint statement to be adopted at the end of the visit and will share that in due course," the foreign secretary said.

This will be Modi's first visit since the inauguration of the second presidential term of Trump on January 20.

"And, after President Trump's inauguration, the prime minister called to wish him, and it was on that occasion they agreed to meet very soon, and that is the promise and the commitment that is now unfolding," he said.

Prior to his US visit, Modi will be in France from February 10-12 to co-chair the AI Action Summit with French President Emmanuel Macron.

PM Modi will arrive in Paris on February 10 and will, that evening, attend a dinner hosted by President Macron at the Élysée Palace in honour of visiting Heads of Government and State.

The dinner is also likely to be attended by a large number of CEOs from the tech domain and a number of other distinguished invitees to the summit. The following day, on February 11, Prime Minister Modi will co-chair the AI Action Summit, along with President Macron, the FS said.

"We expect a leaders' declaration will be adopted at this Summit... India's own priority - we are interested in AI applications that are designed, developed, deployed and used in a safe, humane, responsible and trustworthy manner," he said.

During the France visit, Modi and Macron will hold discussions in both restricted and delegation formats and address the India-France CEO's Forum, Misri told reporters.

The two leaders will also visit Mazargues War Cemetery maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in Marseille and pay tribute to the sacrifices made by Indian soldiers in World War I.

They will inaugurate the newest Consulate General of India in Marseille.

Modi and Macron will visit Cadarache, the site of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), a high-science project that India is part of along with other countries.

"We are sure the visit of PM Modi will further propel this strategic partnership with France," Misri said.

He said there has been a very close rapport between Trump and Modi, dating back to the US leader's first term.

Asked if Prime Minister Modi is likely to discuss the Bangladesh situation with President Trump, Misri said there will be discussions on the regional and international situation and the issue might come up.

"You are aware of our statement that we have made recently with regard to the unfortunate incidents relating to the residence of Sheikh Mujib.

"We would also like to point out that the safety of diplomatic premises is the responsibility of the host government, and I have no doubt that the Bangladesh authorities are fully aware of their responsibilities in this regard.

"As to whether the issue will come up in discussions in Washington, D.C., I can't prejudge right now. There will be discussions on the regional and international situation. I would imagine this might be one of the issues that will come up," he said while replying to queries.

He was also asked if there could be some announcements in France and the US including collaboration in the nuclear energy sector.

To a query on the Civil Liability Act and the possible amendments to it, he said, "You have seen the announcement in the budget by the Honorable Finance Minister, where the possibility of an amendment to the Civil Liability Nuclear Damage Act was raised.

"The amendment is the prerogative of Parliament, so I won't get ahead of that, but this is clearly something that would certainly make a difference in the landscape of international nuclear cooperation, not just with France, but also with the United States and other countries," he said.