India has invited United States President Barack Obama to be the chief guest at the 2015 Republic Day celebrations, an invitation which has been accepted by the American leader.
"This Republic Day, we hope to have a friend over... Invited President Obama to be the 1st US President to grace the occasion as Chief Guest," Modi tweeted.
Confirming Obama's acceptance, the press secretary on the president's travel in a statement said, "At the invitation of Prime Minister Modi, the president will travel to India in January 2015 to participate in the Indian Republic Day celebration in New Delhi as the chief guest."
"This visit will mark the first time a US president will have the honor of attending Republic Day, which commemorates the adoption of India’s constitution. The president will meet with the prime minister and Indian officials to strengthen and expand the US-India strategic partnership," it said.
Modi met President Obama in September in Washington for talks on two consecutive days. Earlier this month, Modi met Obama at an East Asia summit in Myanmar and an agreement was struck there to allow WTO trade deal that India had stalled over concerns that its food subsidies to the poor could face legal challenges Obama had praised Modi as ‘a man of action’.
Later, official spokesperson in the external affairs ministry Syed Akbaruddin said in New Delhi, "He (the PM) did extend an invitation to President Obama to be the chief guest of our next Republic Day celebrations.
"Following that diplomatic conversation which the prime minister had with president Obama, a letter was sent, formalising that invitation. We have now received a confirmation through diplomatic channels of President Obama agreeing to come to India as the first US president for a Republic Day function as the chief guest.
"This is also another first. President Obama would be the first US president to come to India, a second time during his term of office. We will now look forward to this development which stems from the initiative of our PM, which followed their bilateral meeting in Washington."
