US Vice President Vance’s India visit an opportunity to review progress in bilateral relations: MEA (Lead)

New Delhi/Washington, April 16 (WISHAVWARTA /IANS) US Vice President J.D. Vance’s India visit from April 21 to 24 will provide an opportunity for both sides to review the progress in bilateral relations and the implementation of the outcomes of the India-US Joint Statement issued in February during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday. Vance will pay an official visit to India from April 21 to 24 and will be accompanied by Second Lady Usha Vance, their children, and senior members of the US Administration. This will be Vice President Vance’s first visit to India. During the visit, he will be meeting with Prime Minister Modi on April 21. The US Vice President and his delegation will have other engagements in Delhi and are also scheduled to visit Jaipur and Agra before departing for Washington on April 24. “The visit will provide an opportunity for both sides to review the progress in bilateral relations and the implementation of the outcomes of the India-US Joint Statement issued on 13 February 2025 during the visit of the Prime Minister to the US. The two sides will also exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest,” read a statement issued by the MEA late Wednesday evening. Earlier in the day, the White House also announced the US Vice President’s forthcoming visit to Italy and India. India is second on the Vances’ two-nation tour with Italy being their first stop. This would be the first visit to India by an American Vice-President in 13 years. The last was Joe Biden, who travelled to India in 2013 as Vice-President to President Barack Obama. “In India, the Vice President will visit New Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra,” Vance’s office said in a statement. “The Vice President will hold meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Vice President and Second Family will also participate in engagements at cultural sites,” it added. There was no mention of Mike Waltz, the National Security Advisor, in the White House statement and it was not immediately clear if and when he is scheduled to travel to India. His visit, when it happens, will be the third by a senior member of the Trump administration to India, following Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, and Vice-President Vance. The Vice-President first met PM Modi in Paris on the sidelines of the AI summit in February. The Second Lady and the second couple’s two sons also met the Prime Minister. Vance has emerged as an important member of the Trump cabinet, and an advocate of President Donald Trump’s agenda. The President often calls him for remarks during publicly-aired meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries. His most significant Oval Office intervention so far came in the meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky. Usha Vance’s parents came to the US from Andhra Pradesh and she was born in San Diego. Her birth name is Usha Bala Chilukuri. Vance’s predecessor in the White House, Vice-President Kamala Harris, never visited India during her tenure although she is also of Indian-descent like Usha Vance — her mother’s family was based in Tamil Nadu. Mike Pence, who was Vice-President in President Trump’s first term also could not make it although he had expressed a desire to undertake a tour of India. –IANS int/as