Leaders of India and United States are set to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines on G7 Summit in France on June 17th. This will be the first time both the sides meet following the presidential election of Trump in November last year. Until today both the leaders have been holding delegations on a telephonic call but never met in person.
“We signed a joint framework agreement earlier this year and have been engaged in intensive negotiations with India over the past year,” a US official told media at the White House.
Prime Minister Modi is quite ambitious about the role he envisions for India and the importance of the US–India relationship,” the White House official added.
India PM Modi and US President Trump to discuss business
The upcoming meeting will set the ground for both the leaders to hold delegations on bilateral ties as well as regional and global developments. Trade is expected to remain the key focus of discussion during the meeting. According to sources, Pm Modi and Trump had previously agreed for an interim bilateral trade framework earlier in February. Negotiations for the proposed framework are currently underway. The leaders are expected to review the terms and explore ways advance economic cooperation between the two countries.
The meeting is a planned event organized as a part of the presidential visit during the G7 Summit. This meet is expected to be one of the key meetings to be attended by the PM. The meeting comes at the backdrop of the tensions that emerged from the death of Indian soldiers onboard the Oman vessel off the coast in Iran. The meeting comes at a time when both nations are seeking to navigate ways to strengthen bilateral trade with significant potential in export of energy, industrial goods and select agricultural products.