Washington DC [US], February 12 : Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to the United States, Mukesh Aghi, President and CEO of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), underlined the potential for strengthening bilateral ties, describing the meeting between PM Modi and President Donald Trump as a "fantastic opportunity" to advance both nations' priorities, particularly in economic growth, defence cooperation, and technological collaboration.
Aghi also noted that while President Trump seeks to "drive change" domestically and internationally, India aims for increased investments and access to cutting-edge technology from the US.
"It is a fantastic opportunity between the two leaders and two countries...Trump is trying to drive change both domestically and internationally and India is looking at more investments and technology from the US. I think both leaders understand what are their priorities, they do have a very strong relationship and are warm towards each other. It is an important occasion to set the agenda for the next 4 years...," Aghi told ANI.
Speaking on the defence cooperation between India and the US, Aghi spoke about the robust partnership the two nations share.
"Defence cooperation between the two countries is robust, there are no two other countries which have joined exercises other than the US and India," Aghi noted.
Aghi also addressed the expectations surrounding defence orders, noting that President Trump hopes for India to engage in such orders. "There are expectations on the part of Trump to see if India can play some defence orders, it all depends on what PM Modi and defense teams are looking for," he added.
Meanwhile, Executive Director of ORF America Dhruva Jaishankar, while underlining four main areas to watch for in the outcome of the meeting between PM Modi and President Donald Trump, also spoke about the defense agreements, which will be a significant area of focus.
Two types of agreements are expected: 1) Acquiring existing US inventory - India will seek to acquire more US aircraft and other equipment, and 2) Co-production and technological benefits - India will aim to secure co-production or co-technological benefits for new platforms, aligning with its priorities.
"There will be two kinds of defense agreements, partially reflective of the different priorities of the US and India. There are certain items which India already has, such as inventory from the US, which India wants to acquire more of, aircraft for example...For the US, it is important because it will help in creating jobs and narrowing the trade deficit, which is a big priority for President Trump...Another set of issues would be new platforms, where India will want to see some co-production or co-technological benefit for India as well," he explained.
PM Modi will visit the US on February 12-13 at the invitation of US President Donald Trump. This will be the first meeting between the two leaders since President Trump assumed office for his second term.
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