【Washington】In a goodwill gesture, Speaker of US House of Representatives John Andrew Boehner has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address a joint session of the US Congress at a date convenient to him.
However, Modi would not be able to address the Congress when he comes to Washington DC in the last week of September mainly because of the unpredictability of the schedule of both the House of Representatives and the Senate due to mid-term elections in November.
In a letter addressed to Modi, Speaker Boehner said there is an interest in the US House of Representatives in inviting the new Indian Prime Minister to address a Joint Meeting of the Congress. More than 80 lawmakers had recently written to Boehner, urging him to invite Modi to address a joint session of the Congress.
○Modi-Hagel talks focus on Afghanistan and terror
【New Delhi】Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel on the 8th of August discussed strategic geopolitical issues, including the deteriorating situation in Iraq and the post-poll deadlock in Afghanistan, while agreeing to increase cooperation in the Indian Ocean and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
Mr. Hagel said the U.S. wanted to be a partner in India’s military modernisation and recognised India’s need to strengthen its defence-industrial base.
Mr. Modi said he looked forward to his U.S. visit “not just for what we can do for each other, but also as an opportunity to see how the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy can build a partnership for peace and stability.”
Hours before his country began air strike in Iraq, Hagel briefed Modi about US President Barack Obama’s plan to deal with the volatile situation in Iraq.
Modi conveyed his concerns to a group of about 40 Indian construction workers believed to have been held captive by the ISIS militants in the conflict zone, bombed by the US fighter jets in order to destroy the ISIS artillery guns.
Mr. Hagel met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley. Delegation-level talks between the two sides, agreed to renew the Indo-U.S. defence framework agreement before it expired in July 2015.
【News source】
Modi invited to address US Congress joint session
Modi-Hagel talks focus on Afghanistan and terror
Hagel briefs Modi on Iraq hours before air strike
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