PM Modi makes first state visit to US: What is it? How is it different from other visits?

After wowing the crowds and indulging in yoga diplomacy at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his second leg of his United States visit – the state visit on the invitation of US president Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. “Reached Washington DC. The warmth of the Indian community and the blessings of Indra Devta made the arrival even more special,” Modi tweeted as he made his way to the American capital. Modi arrived at the Joint Base Andrews in Washington, DC where he was given a guard of honour amid incessant rains. The prime minister, who was wearing a raincoat, stood for the national anthem of the two countries.

Reached Washington DC. The warmth of the Indian community and the blessings of Indra Devta made the arrival even more special. pic.twitter.com/V0sXSyUbTX

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2023

“The Official State visit moves to its next phase. PM @narendramodi accorded a ceremonial welcome and guard of honour as he sets foot at the Joint Base Andrews airport in Washington DC. In Washington DC, PM will hold bilateral meeting with  @POTUS @JoeBiden; address the Joint Session of the US Congress; and interact with CEOs and a cross-section of Indian diaspora,” Arindam Bagchi, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said in a tweet. While Modi has visited the United States on a few occasions before, this is his first state visit. Modi will also attend a state dinner at the White House along with a slew of dignitaries. Let’s take a closer look at what a state visit is, how it differs from a regular visit and visits by other Indian leaders to the United States: A state visit, explained According to the Indian Express, a state visit is one made by the head of government or a state. It can be made only at the invitation of the sitting US president in his or her capacity as head of state. State visits are the highest-ranking visits that can be made by foreign leaders.

Given their lofty status, they also occur extremely rarely.

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A country can have just one state visit during a US president’s four-year term, as per RFERL. According to Indian Express, while such trips are only made for a few days, they are filled with pomp and circumstance. The visiting dignitary is afforded among other ceremonies • Greetings on the tarmac after landing • A 21-gun salute at the White House on arrival • A state dinner • Exchange of diplomatic gifts • An invite to stay at the US president’s guesthouse Blair House • Flags streetlining Historian Matthew Costello told news agency PTI that a state visit is only reserved for closest friends and allies. Costello added this involves six months of meticulous planning by the White House and displays the best of American hospitality. [caption id=“attachment_12582262” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Graphic: Pranay Bhardwaj[/caption] “The day of (the state visit), there will be a state arrival ceremony at the White House, typically on the South Lawn. The President and the visiting Head of State will exchange remarks,” Costello said. “They’ll listen to the national anthems of the respective countries, review their troops, and then they’ll go into the White House for conversation, and diplomatic exchanges later that night, there is a state dinner held in their honour, and then they spend the night there as the overnight guest of the president, the First Lady at Blair House, the president’s official guest house,” he added. The Bureau of Global Public Affairs on its website says that a state dinner hosted by the president and first lady is the high point of the state visit. “The menu typically features food and wines that reflect the culinary traditions of the guests of honour, but with an American twist. It represents the friendship between the nations of the hosts and the honoured guests,” the website states. Other types of visits and how they differ from state visits According to RFEL, the other types of visits a member of a foreign government can make in order of importance are.

• Official visit • Official working visit • Working visit • Private visit

Official visits also come at the invitation of the US president. The visiting dignitary is also offered many of the ceremonies held during a state visit including Blair House, arrival and departure ceremony and official dinner. The main difference here is the rank of the visitor, the number of guns used during the salute and the type of dinner held in their honour – an official dinner versus a state dinner. During an official working visit, a stay at Blair House is offered and the dignitary is given a meeting with the president and a working luncheon with the president and secretary of state at the White House. A dinner or reception may or may not be held. There are no ceremonies on arrival and departure, gifts are not exchanged and spouses do not attend the working luncheon.

A working visit comprises a meeting at the White House with the president.

A private visit is when the foreign dignitary makes the trip without being invited by the president. A meeting with the US president may be requested and granted as a ‘working session’. While state visits have the most prestige attached to them, the type of visit makes little difference when it comes to the actual amount of work done, as per Indian Express. [caption id=“attachment_12772492” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] President Joe Biden hugs Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House during the Indian leader’s first state visit to the US. AP[/caption] According to the newspaper, working visits can do as much as state visits when it comes to improving relations with other nations. The newspaper added that given the pomp and circumstance surrounding state visits, more work is actually conducted during other less-prestigious visits.

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As Mel French, who worked as the protocol director at the state department, told RFERL, “Ranking the visits gives a level to what the president wants to do when he invites someone to this country.” “Often they really need an official working visit where they can sit down and work through problems or things that they need to talk about. An official working visit is really a visit of substance and policy. A state visit and an official visit are more of a ceremonial type thing where we are honouring a country.” Modi has previously visited the United States on five occasions, according to the state department’s Office of The Historian.

• In 2019, Modi participated in a Houston Rally
• In 2017, Modi made an official working visit
• In 2016, Modi had a working lunch
• In 2016, Modi attended the Nuclear Security Summit and
• In 2014, Modi made a working visit

State visits by Indian leaders to US While several Indian leaders have visited the United States, just two have made state visits – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November 2009 under President Barack Obama and President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan under President John F Kennedy in 1963. Singh’s visit to the United States was Obama’s first since being elected president. He was accompanied by his wife Gursharan Kaur. [caption id=“attachment_12582152” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Barack and Michelle Obama escorting Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur. Image Courtesy: Official White House Photo by Pete Souza[/caption] In 2016, then chief White House photographer Pete Souza put up images of Obama and his wife Michelle respectively escorting Manmohan and Kaur during the visit. Obama, Manmohan and other delegates held a meeting the White House and also addressed the media. Manmohan during the trip also met then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Radhakrishnan, who was President of India from 1962 to 1967, was known as a philosopher-statesman. He visited Williamsburg (Virginia), Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Cape Canaveral (Florida), Denver (Colorado), Los Angeles, and New York City. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.