WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI, Feb 11 - US President Donald Trump will pay a state visit to India on February 24 and 25 and travel to New Delhi and Ahmedabad, it was announced on Tuesday, with both governments highlighting that his maiden trip would further bolster the strategic ties and the enduring friendship between the peoples of the two countries.
President Trump will be accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump and they will visit India on February 24 and 25, White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said.
In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs said President Trump and his wife would pay a state visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The announcement from Washington and New Delhi came after Trump and Modi held a telephonic talk over the weekend, Grisham said.
�During a phone call over the weekend, President Trump and Prime Minister Modi agreed the trip would further strengthen the India-US strategic partnership and highlight the strong and enduring bonds between the American and Indian people,� she said.
The President and the First Lady will travel to New Delhi and Ahmedabad, which is in Prime Minister Modi�s home State of Gujarat and played an important role in Mahatma Gandhi�s life and leadership of the Indian independence movement, the White House said in a statement.
Trump�s predecessor Barack Obama travelled to India in 2010 and 2015.
This will be President Trump�s first visit to India, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
During the visit, President Trump and the First Lady will attend official engagements in New Delhi and Ahmedabad, and interact with a wide cross-section of Indian society, it said.
�The global strategic partnership between India and the U.S. is based on trust, shared values, mutual respect and understanding, and marked by warmth and friendship between the peoples of the two countries,� it said.
The relationship has further evolved under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and President Trump, with �significant progress� in all areas including trade, defence, counter-terrorism, energy, coordination on regional and global issues as well as people-to-people ties, the statement noted.
�The visit will provide an opportunity for the two leaders to review progress in bilateral ties and further strengthen our strategic partnership,� the statement added. � PTI
