Narendra Modi arrives in Mexico on final leg of five-nation tour

Mexico City: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Mexico city on Thursday on the final leg of his five-nation tour during which he will hold talks with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on key bilateral issues. Modi, who arrived in Mexico from the US, is expected to discuss a host of issues with Nieto including India’s NSG membership bid. “Reached Mexico City. The visit is brief but substantial ground will be covered in my talks with @PresidenciaMX: PM,” a tweet by the Prime Minister’s Office said. “Hola México! PM @narendramodi lands in Mexico city for an important evening of diplomacy,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted. [caption id=“attachment_2824342” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A file photo of Narendra Modi. AFP[/caption] Mexico’s Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu was present at the airport to receive the Prime Minister. “A familiar face. PM @narendramodi is received by Ms Claudia Ruiz Massieu Salinas, Foreign Minister,” Swarup said in another tweet. This is the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister after 1986 when then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had visited that country. In 2012, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had visited Mexico to attend the G20 summit. “I look forward to meeting President Peña Nieto on 8 June during my visit to Mexico, a privileged partner in the Latin American region,” Modi had said ahead of his five nation tour that also took him to Afghanistan, Qatar, Switzerland and the US. “President Peña Nieto has ushered in far reaching reforms. I look forward to sharing our experiences. This is the first Prime Ministerial bilateral visit to Mexico after 30 years. Though short, the visit has a substantial agenda to take our partnership to new heights,” he said.