Tension has been simmering between India and Bangladesh since the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government last year.
Donald Trump Said ‘I will leave Bangladesh to PM Modi’
US President Donald Trump Thursday rejected any role of the “deep state” of the United States in the affairs of Bangladesh, an issue which was discussed during the bilateral meeting where Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his concerns regarding the developments in the neighbouring country.
Responding to questions on the role of the “US deep state” in the affairs of Bangladesh, Trump said at the beginning of their bilateral meeting in the Oval Office, “Well, there was no role for our deep state… This is something that the Prime Minister has been working on for a long time and has been working on it for hundreds of years. Frankly, I’ve been reading about it, but I will leave Bangladesh to the Prime Minister.”
Later, while replying to questions, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, “On what we make of the statement on Bangladesh… this was a subject that was discussed between the two leaders. And the Prime Minister shared his views and, indeed, his concerns with regard to recent developments in Bangladesh and how India sees the situation.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Donald Trump for the first time since his return to the White House on January 20 for his second term as US President. The two leaders praised their strong bond and hoped for stronger ties and trade deals as the meeting took place amid concerns over Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff plans, which can impact India hard.
India has more tariffs than nearly any other country, said Donald Trump while announcing reciprocal tariffs. The tariffs could mean duties levied on Indian imports to the US, which Trump had earlier stated would be equal to the taxes charged by other nations on their products.
Commenting on India-China tensions, he said, “I look at India, I do see the skirmishes on the border which are quite vicious… If I could be of help, I would love to help… I would hope that China, India, Russia and US, all of us can get along. It’s very important.”
US to sell F-35 jets to India
Donald Trump on Thursday said that the United States will be increasing its military sales to India by billions of dollars and his administration is paving the way to provide India with F35 Stealth fighters. The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, the most extensively deployed fifth-generation fighter jet, participated in the 15th edition of Aero India, Asia’s largest aerospace and defense expo earlier this month.
MIGA + MAGA
Donald Trump in the US, spoke about India’s vision of ‘Make India Great Again’ (MIGA) – a phrase inspired by Mr Trump’s signature slogan ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA). According to PM Modi, a joint vision of ‘MAGA’ and ‘MIGA’ becomes a mega partnership for prosperity.
Trade
The two leaders also announced that India and the US have set a USD 500 billion target for bilateral trade by 2030. We will strengthen oil and gas trade to ensure India’s energy security. In the energy infrastructure, investment will increase. In the nuclear energy sector, we spoke about deepening our cooperation, in the direction of small modular reactors.
India to buy US energy of up to $ 25 billion
“Last year, we purchased about $15 billion in US Energy output. There is a good chance that this figure will go up to as much as 25 billion dollars in the near future,” ministry of external affairs said in a presser. The talks between the two leaders focused also on increasing energy purchases, which could play a key role in balancing the trade deficit between India and the United States.
PM Modi talks about issue of illegal immigration
PM Modi talked about the issue of illegal immigration and expressed India’s readiness to take back those citizens living unlawfully in the US. However, he emphasized that the issue extended beyond deportation, highlighting the role of human traffickers who mislead individuals with false promises. There were no comments on the “inhuman treatment” given to the recent deportees when they were restrained and sent back to the country.
Extradition of 26/11 attack accused approved
US approved the extradition of 26/11 accused Tahawwur Rana to India, marking another key takeaway from the visit. “Today I am pleased to announce that my administration has approved the extradition of one of the plotters and very evil people of the world and having to do with the horrific Mumbai terrorist attack, to face justice in India. So, he is going back to India to face justice,” Trump said.
Reciprocal approach on tariffs
PM Modi’s visit to the US did not have a significant impact on Donald Trump’s recent move to impose 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from India. He also reiterated his “100% tariffs” on Brics nations threat if they tried to replace the US dollar with any other currency.
‘India not neutral, on the side of peace’: PM Modi on Russia-Ukraine war
PM Modi reiterated India’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine war and said that the country was in favour of establishing peace. “I have always been in close contact with Russia and Ukraine. I have met the leaders of both countries. Many people are in a misconception that India is neutral, but I want to reiterate that India is not neutral; we are on a side, and that is peace,” he said.
