Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States, within three weeks of President Donald Trump’s second-term inauguration, signals the priority both leaders place on the India-US relationship. 

 

 

Briefing the media Washington DC, Mr Misri said, several aspects of the relationship, ranging from strategic and security cooperation, defence, trade and economic engagement, technology, energy security and people-to-people linkages, regional and global issues of concerns were dealt with during the visit. 

 

 

 

He added that both the leaders also announced plans to negotiate the first tranche of a mutually beneficial multi-sector bilateral trade agreement by the autumn of 2025. 

 

 

 

Mr Misri underlined that both the leaders announced plans to finalize a new 10-year framework for the US-India Major Defence partnership which will run till 2035. 

 

 

The Foreign Secretary also underscored that both leaders also agreed to move forward on ongoing defence procurement negotiations for a number of platforms, including land and air systems and co-production agreements. He added that there was also an agreement to initiate discussions on the reciprocal defence procurement agreement.