US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House on Wednesday, later hosting an intimate dinner for the visiting premier.
Footages showed Modi chatting with Biden and his wife before being led inside the building. "When friends meet! PM @narendramodi arrives at the @WhiteHouse for a private engagement with @POTUS @JoeBiden, @FLOTUS @DrBiden and family. An occasion for two leaders who share close bonds of friendship to cherish special moments together," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.
The Prime Minister, who is on a four-day visit to the United States arrived at Washington DC on Wednesday from New York where he held meetings with eminent personalities from all fields and CEOs, including Elon Musk. He started his day in the capital with 'Skilling for Future' event hosted by Jill Biden at the National Science Foundation.
He also met Gary E Dickerson, president and CEO of Applied Materials, Sanjay Mehrotra, president-CEO of Micron Technology and H Lawrence Culp Jr, chairman and CEO, of General Electric and CEO of General Electric Aerospace.
The President also hosted an intimate dinner for Modi. They were joined by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval, the White House said. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra and Deputy Chief of Protocol Aseem Vohra were seen entering the White House. A musical tribute to the regions of India was also held.
President Joe Biden and the First Lady will host a State Dinner at the South Lawn of the White House on Thursday for the Prime Minister, which is expected to be attended by 400 guests. Modi will also address a joint session of the US Congress on Thursday.
Gifts to the PM
The President and the First Lady will present Prime Minister Modi with a handmade, antique American book galley from the early 20th Century. They will also gift Modi a vintage American camera, accompanied by an archival facsimile print of George Eastman's Patent of the first Kodak camera, and a hardcover book of American wildlife photography, it said.
