US President Donald Trump on Monday asserted that relations with India hold a special place for his country, saying that America "loves" and is "loyal" to India.
Addressing the 'Namaste Trump' event at the Motera Stadium here, Trump also announced that the US will seal defence deals worth USD 3 billion on Tuesday. Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be holding delegation-level official talks on Tuesday in New Delhi.
"I'm pleased to announce that tomorrow our representatives will sign deals to sell over US $ 3 Billion, in the absolute finest state of the art military helicopters and other equipment to the Indian armed forces," said Trump at Motera stadium.
"As we continue to build our defence cooperation, the US looks forward to providing India with some of the best & most feared military equipment on the planet. We make the greatest weapons ever made. We make the best and we are dealing now with India," he said.https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1231862655989604352?s=20
"Both countries are united in defending citizens from threat of radical Islamic terrorism. Under my administration we unleashed full power of American military on bloodthirsty killers of ISIS. Today ISIS territorial caliphate is 100% destroyed. Monster Al Baghdadi is dead" Trump added
The US president also heaped praises on Modi as he described him as an "exceptional leader" who works day and night for India. Modi is a "living proof" of what an Indian can achieve with hard work as Trump referred to his humble background as a tea-seller, who had a landslide win in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
As the world's largest economy, India gives hope to all humanity and has become an economic giant, Trump said. He highlighted the boom in the US economy under his presidency and added that India will soon be home to the biggest middle class as it will eliminate extreme poverty in in next 10 years.
Trump's maiden visit to India is expected to significantly ramp up bilateral defence and strategic ties but unlikely to produce tangible outcome in resolving thorny issues like trade tariffs. The nearly 36-hour-long visit by Trump is also set to send across a clear message of growing congruence of interests on major geopolitical developments in the region and beyond, particularly when China has been expanding its military might and economic clout.
