India-US relationship over the years: Modi's visits that have defined ties since 2014

All eyes are on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he visits the United States for his first in-person bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden. His visit, which comes ahead of the QUAD and 73rd UNGA session, has been dubbed by US lawmakers as a 'critical moment' for strengthening bilateral relations between India and the US. Here are some of the defining moments of India-US relations under PM Modi's leadership since 2014.

Narendra Modi's first visit to the US came shortly after he came to power in the 2014 General Assembly Elections with a landslide victory. Then US President Barack Obama congratulated the PM and invited him for a visit in September. His visa ban (which had been imposed after the Gujarat riots 2002) was cancelled and PM gave his first sold-out speech at New York's Madison Square Garden. The ties between India and the US were segmented with the signing of an agreement between the Export-Import Bank and an Indian energy agency.

Two years later, Obama once again called on PM Modi, right before he ended his Presidency. PM Modi was hosted at the White House in 2018, and this time, the two countries furthered their defence ties. India was elevated to a major defence partner of the US, which allowed it to have access to high-level US defence technology. In the months after, India and US solidified their defence partnership, and the two countries also signed a major agreement under PM Modi's leadersip on extending military cooperation. The development came as a major success since the deal had been under negotiation for over a decade under the previous Congress-led UPA regimes.

Following this, India and US held their first 2+2 dialogue in New Delhi in 2018 which was attended by then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis. The two were hosted by their Indian counterparts- late Sushma Swaraj and Nirmala Sitharaman. A crucial agreement called- The Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) was signed between the two sides, which gave India access to real-time information and advanced communication technology used in US defence equipment.

2019 -  Howdy Modi and Namaste Trump

Despite a short snag in 2019 when Donald Trump stripped India's 'preferential status which was countered by India imposing tariffs on 28 US products, PM Modi's infamous visit to Texas the following year smoothened ties. The 2020 'Howdy Modi' visit and PM's resounding address to an audience of 50,000 went down in history as one of the major milestones in the relationship between the two nations. This was followed by a 'Namaste Trump' visit by Donald Trump who was invited to Ahmedabad to attend a similar mega rally. 

Last year, India and US held their third 2+2 dialogue where they signed a crucial BECA Agreement (The Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement). This came as another significant development in the defence ties between the two nations and allowed the sharing of sensitive geospatial data for use in Indian drones and missiles. India and the US also solidified their stance against China's aggression in the Indo-pacific region during the meeting.