Preparations are being made for the Yoga Day celebrations, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over, at the lawns of the UN building in New York.
On June 21 at the UN headquarters in New York, Prime Minister Modi will host the ninth International Yoga Day as part of his official state visit to the United States. The Prime Minister has been invited to visit the nation from June 20 to June 24 by President Joe Biden.
June 21 has been declared the International Day of Yoga. The International Day of Yoga has been celebrated annually on June 21 since it was established at the United Nations General Assembly in 2014. Yoga, a physical, mental, and spiritual practice, originated in ancient India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recommended June 21 in his 2014 UN speech since it is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and has significant meaning in many cultures.
Following the celebration of yoga day in New York, PM Modi will go to Washington, D.C., where he will meet President Biden to carry on their high-level conversation after being formally welcomed at the White House on June 22.
The same evening, the Prime Minister will be honoured at a State Dinner hosted by President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, according to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
On June 22, PM Modi will address a joint session of the US Congress at the invitation of US Congressional Leaders, including Speakers of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy and the Senate Charles Schumer.
On June 23, US Vice President Kamala Harris and State Secretary Antony Bilnken will receive the prime minister at a luncheon.The Prime Minister will have a number of carefully planned contacts with top CEOs, experts, and other stakeholders in addition to his formal engagements. He’ll also get to know people from the Indian diaspora.
In his nine years as prime minister, this will be Narendra Modi’s first state visit to the US.
The last state visit to the US by an Indian was by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from November 23 to 25, 2009.
Even though PM Modi has travelled to the US frequently during his term but none of the visits were categorised as a state visit, which are the highest rank in terms of diplomatic procedure.
What are State Visits?
A head of state or government will travel on a state visit when they are representing their nation abroad. As a result, they are referred to as “visits of the country name” rather than “visits of name of the head” in official papers. State visits to the US only occur when the US president makes an invitation on behalf of the foreign head of state.
State visits often span a few days and involve a number of intricate rituals, depending on the schedule of the visiting head of state. The visiting head of state is greeted at the pavement after landing during a flight line ceremony in the US. Other ceremonies include a White House dinner, a 21-gun salute upon arrival, an exchange of diplomatic gifts, an invitation to stay at the Blair House (the US President’s guesthouse across Pennsylvania Avenue), and flag streetlining.
Is a foreign leader’s trip always considered a state visit?
No, state visits are the highest-ranking class of international travel, carrying significant ceremonial weight, and are regarded as the pinnacle of friendly bilateral ties. These are nevertheless rather uncommon, mainly to preserve their standing as symbols and objects of pride. For instance, the president of the United States is only permitted to host one leader from each country once every four years, per US diplomatic policy.
Working visits (2014), working lunches (2016), and official working visits (2017) were all categorised as PM Modi’s past visits. According to the US Department of State website, during his 2019 visit, he took part in a rally in Houston, Texas.
Do State visits really work to strengthen bilateral relationship between nations?
State visits are the most prestigious, both formally and ceremonially, but for practical diplomatic activity, the type of visit doesn’t really matter. Working trips can contribute just as much to strengthening ties with another nation as state visits. Given the rarity of state visits and the ceremonial events they entail, other visits are actually where most work gets done.
