PRIME Minister Narendra Modi returned to India after an unprecedented visit to the US and Egypt. Though he brought a lot for the all-round development of India, he also gave a lot as partner in the progress of the two countries. A look at the agreements – on space to land and sea – made between PM Modi and US President Joe Biden makes it evident. The way the US took India hand in hand, it became clear that President Biden wanted the relationship between the two nations to touch new heights. In fact, he termed the relationship as one of the most defining relationships in the 21st century. In this context, PM Modi’s statement that the visit has opened a “new chapter in the global strategic partnership” seems quite logical.
US Vice-President Kamala Harris, and US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti also said that Prime Minister Modi’s threeday State visit marked the beginning of a “bold new chapter” in Indo-US strategic relations. PM Modi also thanked US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for helping to give a new dimension to the relationship. During the visit, many important agreements were signed, including the joint manufacturing of jet engines in India and the purchase of military drones. The kind of technologytransfer agreement, like the one by the company that manufactures semiconductor-making machines, has never happened in the past.
In Egypt too, the Prime Minister’s visit took the relations between the two countries to new level. As the first Indian Prime Minister to have visited Egypt in the last 26 years, PM Modi promised to strengthen mutual relations in every field by meeting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo. El-Sisi had visited India this year as Chief Guest at the Republic Day Parade. Both the leaders took several important decisions and agreed to develop a strategic partnership by further raising the level of bilateral ties. PM Modi also invited the Egyptian President as special guest for the G20 summit to be held in New Delhi, in September. The Indian economy has expanded exponentially in the past three decades, making it the fifth-largest economy in the world. Egypt is in need of investment due to its growing population, which is one of the reasons why the El-Sisi Government is having a relook at India ties.
It is also pertinent to mention that no one can represent India on foreign soil as brilliantly and positively as PM Modi does. He is not only the best ambassador for India but also the most popular leader of the country and the world. Recently, he got the honour of being the world’s most popular leader for the fourth time in a row. The PM also brought honour to India by leading the world on International Yoga Day. The day was also included in the Guinness Book of World Records as representatives of 191 countries performed yoga together. Apart from this, a programme organised on the lawns of the United Nations Headquarters, connecting yoga with friendship, peace, coordination, and the G20 theme ‘One World, One Family, One Future’ and through this, establishing the importance of the message of India’s universal principle of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, was no less than a masterstroke by PM Modi.
