The US president made the announcements while addressing a crowd of about 125,000 spectators at a cricket stadium in the Indian city of Ahmedabad, along with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Modi rolled out the red carpet for Trump, who has taken time out of an election year for a brief visit focused solely on India. Modi received Trump and his wife, Melania, at the airport in Ahmedabad.
Tens of thousands of people waving Indian and American flags lined their route to the stadium. Groups of performers from various regions of India sang and danced on narrow stages along the way showcasing India’s cultural diversity.
“I believe the United States should be India’s premier defence partner and that’s the way it’s working out. Together we will defend our sovereignty, security and protect a free and open Indo-Pacific region for our children and for many, many generations to come,” Trump said.
“I am pleased to announce (that on Tuesday) our representatives will sign deals to sell over $3 billion in absolutely finest state-of-the-art helicopters and other equipment to the Indian armed forces’’.
Washington sees India as a counterbalance to China’s growing military and political influence in Asia. Defence and strategic ties seem to be top of the agenda of the visit, which was earlier expected to lead to a breakthrough trade pact.
Trade disputes have overshadowed India-US relations for the past three years and Trump said during his speech that an overarching trade deal was still in early stages of discussion. Trump said Modi was a tough negotiator.
To loud cheers from the spectators, Trump also said his administration had been working “in a very positive way with Pakistan to crack down on terrorist organisations and militants that operate on the Pakistani border” and that there were signs of big progress which would bring stability to the region.
India has held Pakistan responsible for backing militants who have carried out major attacks in India, including in Mumbai in 2008.
At the main Trump-Modi talks scheduled for Tuesday, the two sides are looking to finalise pacts in specific areas such as intellectual property rights, trade facilitation and homeland security.
US firm Westinghouse and India’s NPCIL are also in final talks on building six nuclear reactors in southern India, the result of a landmark nuclear accord in 2008, Indian diplomats said. In their speeches in Ahmedabad, Modi and Trump hailed the India-US ties and praised each other.
“America loves India. America respects India and America will always be a faithful and loyal friend to the Indian people,” Trump told the crowds. “President Trump’s visit opens a new chapter in our relationship — a chapter that will document the progress and prosperity of the people of America and India,” Modi said.
This comes at a time when the US president is looking to garner votes from a large 4 million strong Indian American community in this year’s US elections. — dpa
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