Modi's US visit showed diaspora's euphoria, depth & bonds of friendship: USISPF

Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US reflected the diaspora's euphoria, the unrelenting optimism from both governments in bilateral partnership, and the depth and bonds of friendship in the people-to-people engagement, a top India-centric American strategic group has said.

Modi is on a three-day visit to the US, during which he attended the Quad Leaders' Summit in Wilmington on Saturday, addressed thousands of members of the Indian-American community on Sunday at a mega community event in Long Island and addressed the UN's Summit of the Future on Monday. He also held bilateral discussions with world leaders on all three days. “What was evinced during Prime Minister Modi’s recent visit was the euphoria of the diaspora, the unrelenting optimism from both governments in the partnership, and the depth and bonds of friendship in the people-to-people engagement,” the US India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) said in a statement on Monday.

During the mega 'Modi&US’ community event, the prime minister addressed a packed Nassau Veterans Coliseum with more than 13,000 Indian Americans. While the majority of them were from the New York and New Jersey area, Indian Americans came in from 40 States, according to organisers.

The USISPF thanked President Biden for strengthening ties with India, underscoring that whichever candidate wins the November 5 presidential elections in the US will continue to deepen the strategic relationship with New Delhi.

"In what is certain to be his last meeting with Prime Minister Modi as a sitting President, it’s clear, that whoever occupies the White House in January 2025, will continue to build on the strategic partnership and prioritise the Indo-Pacific as central to Washington’s geostrategic vision,” it said.

Noting that Biden and Modi reaffirmed that the US-India Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership is the "defining partnership of the 21st century", the USISPF said the two leaders underscored the shared interests that both democracies share.

"However, it’s important to elevate and expand those interests to shared priorities to address the urgent challenges of the 21st century," it said.

Asserting that the US-India Major Defence Partnership continues to be a vital pillar of security in the Indo-Pacific region, the advocacy group said the partnership was "fructified with the success of the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) and subsequently with the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X)".

These have been crucial in deepening and expanding strategic cooperation across key technology sectors, including space, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum, biotechnology, and advanced telecommunications, as seen by the prime minister’s roundtable with tech CEOs on Sunday, it said.

The plans to establish a new semiconductor fabrication will rejig India’s manufacturing potential, boost the high-tech sector, and strengthen national security and supply chains while attracting American investors, USISPF said.

According to the group, the success of Chandrayaan-3 last year paved the way for a more strategic and deeper space collaboration between NASA and ISRO to conduct further scientific research onboard the International Space Station in 2025.

It underscored that the priorities are towards development ecosystems as both countries have facilitated joint research opportunities between their leading scientific institutions, national laboratories, and private sector researchers, all of which will tie in to advance the “Innovation Handshake”.

Modi's recent visits to Ukraine and Poland and India’s leadership at the G20 Summit show that Washington acknowledges New Delhi’s role as both a voice for the Global South and one that can build bridges and de-escalate tensions, a much-needed approach at the moment, it said.

In line with the Quad vision, both countries will continue to deepen their military partnership and interoperability to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific, it said, adding that Washington and New Delhi’s joint efforts from procurement of drone technology to jet engine manufacturing to Javelin and Stryker systems in India are vital in increased operational coordination, information-sharing, and defence industrial innovation.

The announcement of two new Indian consulates in the US -- Boston and Los Angeles -- signifies the strength of the diaspora in the US and the need to increase diplomatic engagement in different corridors of the country, it said.

The USISPF is an independent non-profit, non-governmental, and non-partisan organisation, which aims to bridge the gap between business and government and fosters closer public-private sector partnerships across all facets of the economy and society in the US and India, according to its website.