Obama and Modi hope to turn page in relations when they meet at White House
Indian PM granted extended audience at White House in effort to 'turn the page'
India's new Prime Minister Narendra Modi came face-to-face with US President Barack Obama in a historic visit yesterday officially hailing a 'new agenda' between the two nations.
The meeting was the centrepiece of Modi's headline-grabbing two-day debut visit to the White House where the two leaders announced they would seek ways to expand collaboration on investment and technology.
Talks between the pair addressed growing concerns that the world's two largest democracies had grown apart.
Cheering crowds gathered as Modi, in full ceremonial dress, approached the West Wing in a black SUV yesterday afternoon. The US leader was expected to press him on the implementation of a stalled World Trade Organisation pact, the campaign against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq and other issues, including global warming and Asia politics.
Typically, visiting heads of state spend just a portion of a day at the White House with Obama and other US leaders. The rare second day of attention from Obama underlined the White House's desire to give a warm welcome to a man once barred from entering the US.
Writing in a Washington Post editorial yesterday, the two leaders said: "The true potential of our relationship has yet to be fully realised. The advent of a new government in India is a natural opportunity to broaden and deepen our relationship.