On the eve of a three-nation visit to Portugal, the United States and Netherlands, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that it would be aimed at enhancing bilateral engagement in various areas.
PM Modi will pay a working visit to Portugal on Saturday, June 24. The 'close historical and friendly ties' between India and Portugal have picked up momentum after Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa's visit to India in January.
"I am looking forward to my meeting with PM Costa. Building on our recent discussions, we will review the progress of various joint initiatives and decisions. We will also discuss ways to further enhance the bilateral engagement, especially in the areas of economic cooperation, science and technology, space collaboration and people to people ties," the PM said.
"We will deliberate on means to intensify our cooperation in counter-terrorism and on other international issues of mutual interest. I also see significant potential for deepening bilateral trade and investment ties," he added.
PM Modi is also keen to interact with the Indian community in Portugal.
The Prime Minister will then visit Washington, D.C., at the invitation of United States President Donald Trump. "President Trump and I have spoken on the telephone prior to this. Our conversations have touched upon our common intent to take forward our productive all round engagement for the mutual benefit of our people," he said.
My USA visit is aimed at deepening ties between our nations. Strong India-USA ties benefit our nations & the world. https://t.co/UaF6lbo1ga
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 23, 2017
PM Modi looks forward to the meeting to have an in-depth exchange of views on further consolidating the 'robust and wide-ranging partnership' between India and the US.
"India's partnership with the US is multi-layered and diverse, supported by not just governments but all the stakeholders on both sides. I look forward to building a forward-looking vision for our partnership with the new administration in the United States under President Trump," the Prime Minister said.
Apart from official meetings with President Trump and his cabinet colleagues, PM Modi will be meeting some prominent American CEOs. As in the past, he is looking forward to interacting with the Indian diaspora in the US as well.
PM Modi will also visit the Netherlands on June 27 to celebrate 70 years of the establishment of Indo-Dutch diplomatic relations. During the visit, the Prime Minister will have an official meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. He will also call on King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and meet Queen Maxima.
"I look forward to meeting Prime Minister Rutte and reviewing our bilateral relations. I would be exchanging views with PM Rutte on important global issues including counter-terrorism and climate change," PM Modi said.
