US Vice President JD Vance arrived in New Delhi this morning for his four-day visit to India. The US Vice President is in India with his wife, Usha Vance, the Indian-American Second Lady. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw welcomed the US Vice President at the Palam airport, where Mr Vance was given a tri-services guard of honour.
The US Vice President’s plane landed at the Palam Technical Area in New Delhi. He will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the day, with talks likely to focus on an early finalisation of the proposed bilateral trade pact and ways to bolster India-US ties. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar are expected to join the discussions.
The Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement, “The visit will provide an opportunity for both sides to review the progress in bilateral relations and the implementation of the outcomes of the India-US Joint Statement issued on February 13 during the visit of the Prime Minister to the US. The two sides will also exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest.”
After he meets with Prime Minister Modi, Mr Vance and his family will visit Jaipur and Agra. On Tuesday, the US Vice-President will visit the iconic Amer Palace. Later that day, he will deliver a keynote address at the US-India Business Summit at the Rajasthan International Centre. The summit will see participation from top Indian and American officials, with Mr Vance expected to talk about bilateral trade and investment between the two countries.
On Wednesday, the US Vice President will travel to Agra for a visit to the Taj Mahal. After spending nearly three hours at the monument, he will return to Jaipur the same afternoon and visit the Jaipur City Palace.
He is scheduled to meet the Rajasthan Chief Minister, Bhajan Lal Sharma, and Governor Haribhau Bagade on April 22. He will leave for Washington on Thursday.
