President Donald Trump's visit to further strengthen strategic ties: India

US President Donald Trump's maiden visit to India will provide an opportunity to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday.

The ministry's comments came hours after the White House announced that the US president and First Lady Melania Trump will visit India from February 24 to 25.

India had invited Trump to grace the Republic Day parade as the chief guest last year but the US President could not come due to scheduling issues.

During his visit to the US in September last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reminded Trump of his invitation to him to visit India along with his family.

"The visit will provide an opportunity for the two leaders to review progress in bilateral ties and further strengthen our strategic partnership," the MEA said.

It said Trump and the First Lady will attend official engagements in the national capital and Ahmedabad, and interact with a cross-section of Indian society.

The main outcome of Trump's visit is likely to be finalisation of a trade deal.

The MEA said the global strategic partnership between India and the US is based on "trust, shared values, mutual respect and understanding", and marked by warmth and friendship between the peoples of the two countries.

"The relationship has further evolved under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and President Trump, with significant progress in all areas, including trade, defence, counter-terrorism, energy, coordination on regional and global issues as well as people-to-people ties," the MEA said.