In a first, Modi, Obama to pen joint editorial

After using technology successfully in their respective election campaigns, United States President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have for the first time interacted digitally to come out with a joint editorial.

External affairs ministry spokesperson said both Prime Minister Modi and President Obama have written a joint editorial in a US newspaper to be published on Wednesday. Officials on both sides have been very secretive about the joint op-ed and have not even disclosed the name of the newspaper that will publish it.

Asked how the two leaders collaborated to write the joint editorial, he said both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Obama are great votaries of digital diplomacy and therefore, it is very easy to digitally interact and through electronic means and it (editorial) was only finalised just today after the PM’s arrival in the US.

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Asked if both the leaders were so active digitally why there was no exchange between the two on cyber space, he said “wait and watch”.

He also said that this was for the first time that an Indian leader has ventured on the path of a joint editorial. PM Modi recently also wrote an editorial in Wall Street Journal before he headed to the US for his first visit since taking power in May.

Image: PM Narendra Modi with US President Barack Obama at the White House. Photograph: Press Information Bureau