Indian PM Narendra Modi Meets Kamala Harris: 10 Things To Know

Modi Meets Kamala Harris: Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi met the Vice-President of the United States Kamala Harris on September 23. The Prime Minister was received at the Vice President’s ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

This marks the first meeting between Modi and Harris, the first person of colour and the first woman to be elected to the office of Vice President of the United States. After his meeting with Harris, Modi took to Twitter to praise her, saying that her feat has inspired the entire world.

Here are ten things to know about Modi- Harris meeting in Washington DC on September 24:

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently on his seventh visit to the United States to attend the Quad Summit as well as to discuss bilateral connections with US President Joe Biden. He will also be addressing the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
2. This was the first in-person meeting between Modi and Harris. The two had earlier spoken over a call earlier when India was hit by the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Modi called her a “true friend” back then, adding that she spoke warmly and very naturally which is something he would always remember.
3. Various subjects such as India-US relations, Indo-Pacific issues, the scenario in Afghanistan and Terrorism were discussed by the two world leaders.
4. Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla shared, “The meeting reflected warmth and cordiality. Discussions covered a number of areas, which included Covid-19, climate change, the issue of terrorism, cooperation in the technology including cooperation in cybersecurity, space, etc,” as reported by the Times of India.
5. Commenting on terrorism, said there was a need to “rein and monitor” Pakistan’s support of terror groups, as shared by the Foreign Secretary.
6. According to NDTV, the Foreign Secretary reportedly said, "She asked Pakistan to take action so that this will not impact on US security and that of India. She agreed with the Prime Minister's briefing on the fact of cross border terrorism, and the fact that India has been a victim of terrorism for several decades now and on the need to rein in, and closely monitor Pakistan's support for such terrorist groups."
7. India’s focus on expanding renewable energy and the National Hydrogen Mission highlighting the significance of lifestyle changes in order to encourage environmental sustainability were also discussed, as shared by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Press Release.
8. Modi called India and the US “natural partners” due to similarities in values and geopolitical interests. Both countries being democracies, India is the world’s largest democracy with a population of approximately 1.4 billion people and the United States being one of the oldest democracies.
9. The Vice President in particular emphasised the risks to democracy across the globe while also mentioning the need to put an effort in order to protect democracy in both nations. She is believed to have shown concern regarding rise of right-wing extremism in both nations.
10. Prime Minister Modi invited Harris to visit India saying, “Excellency, continuing on your-this journey of victory, Indians would also want you to continue that in India and, therefore, they are waiting to welcome you. And therefore, I extend to you specially an invitation to visit India.” The Vice President’s mother Shyamala Gopalan was a native of Madras (now Chennai) in India.

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