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PM MEETS, VANCE TALKS FOCUS ON TRADE, STRATEGIC RELATIONS

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 4/22/2025 11:42:18 AM

NEW DELHI, APR 21 Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with US Vice President JD Vance on Monday at his residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg in New Delhi. JD Vance was accompanied by his wife and their three children — Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel. The bilateral meeting comes as India aims for a trade deal to avoid the scourge of Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs that have been paused for three months. The talks between the two leaders are likely to focus on fasttracking the trade deal between the two countries. Images shared by the PM's Office showed PM Modi welcoming JD Vance and his family. The two boys, who wore kurtas during their visit to Akshardham temple in the morning, are seen wearing bandhgala suit and Nehru jacket, while Vance's daughter Mirabel is wearing a golden frock. Vance, who landed in Delhi on Monday for his first official visit to India, visited the famous Swaminarayan Akshardham temple. Accompanied by his Indian-origin wife Usha Vance and their three children, Vance then visited an emporium in Janpath where he purchased pottery items and tea bags. The US Vice President received a guard of honour at the airport, where he was received by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Vance's three children - Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel - were seen wearing traditional Indian attire. At the Akshardham temple, he was left awestruck with the structure and thanked the authorities for their hospitality and kindness in welcoming him to the temple. "Thank you so much for your hospitality and kindness in welcoming me and my family to this beautiful place. It is a great credit to India that you built a beautiful temple with precision and care. Our kids in particular loved it. God bless," he said in a message. Vance and his family then visited the Central Cottage Industries Emporium in Janpath where they purchased papiremache items, honey, tea bags and pottery items. "They bought some papier-mache items, small gift items for the kids and some brass items. They visited all the counters in the showroom. Central Cotton Industry is one of the temples of art and craft. It is not an ordinary shop. Central Cotton Industry is a very big organisation in Asia and deals with hand-to-man handicrafts. She (Usha Vance) really liked the art and craft," he said. Showroom manager Meetu Wazirani said the couple spent around 40-45 minutes at the showroom and appreciated the goods at the emporium. "They really appreciated the goods. They were very humble and soft-spoken. She bought whatever the kids said," she added. Security has been stepped up across Delhi ahead of the high-level visit. Senior officials from the Pentagon and the State Department also accompanied him on the four-day trip, which includes meetings and cultural engagements in Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra. Trump's second-in-command will be meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday evening and hold talks focusing on finalising a bilateral trade agreement and deepening strategic and economic ties amid escalating trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval are expected to be part of the talks led by PM Modi, PTI reported.