- This was conveyed in a letter from US authorities to NSA Ajit Doval recently, an India Today report said.
According to reports in Indian media, Trump's "domestic commitments", including his State of the Union address around that time, seem to have been the reason for declining the invitation.
This was conveyed in a letter from US authorities to NSA Ajit Doval recently, an India Today report said.It was in April this year that the official invitation was sent to the US president. The final decision would be taken after the inaugural 2+2 dialogue in September, the US authorities had said then. The foreign ministry is yet to issue a statement.
Of late, relations between India and the United States have seen a downward swing due to New Delhi's defence deals with Moscow as well as its oil imports from Iran.
India has not heeded to US calls of sanctions against countries who trade and engage with Russia's defence and intelligence sectors. The Trump administration had also set a November 4 deadline to its allies to stop their import of Iranian oil.
Earlier, a Times of India report had said that keeping in mind Trump's likely preoccupation with State of the Union address in the last week of January, India remains open to hosting Trump even in early February.
Former US assistant secretary of commerce Raymond Vickery had reportedly said that Trump can visit India if he really wants to for the parade.
Former US ambassador to India Tim Roemer was quoted in the Times of India report as saying that Trump can demonstrate true commitment to the relationship by undertaking an Obama-like trip to India for Republic Day.
In 2015, former US president Barack Obama was the chief guest for India's Republic Day. And the landmark visit had ushered in a new epoch of ties between the world's two biggest democracies.
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