“Thank you, New York!”: PM Modi after historic address to Indian diaspora at Nassau Coliseum

Following his historic address to the Indian diaspora at Nassau Coliseum in New York, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his gratitude to the city on Monday.

In a post on social media platform X, PM Modi thanked the New York crowd who were present at the event and shared glimpses from the memorable community programme.

“Thank you, New York! These are glimpses from the memorable community programme. Grateful to all those who joined,” he said.

Prime Minister Modi was in New York on Sunday (local time) to address the “Modi and US” program at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York, with 15,000 members of the Indian diaspora gathering from 42 different states to welcome the Prime Minister.

During his address, PM Modi touched upon various facets of India-US relations, people-to-people ties, and India’s rising global stature and economic growth.

In his initial remarks, lauding the contributions of the Indian diaspora, PM Modi said that Indians contribute to do the most no matter where they are.

In his over one-hour-long speech, he also apprised the gathering of how India has become a key player in mobile manufacturing–from being an importer to an exporter, digital public infrastructure adoption. He added that the day is not far when Made in India chips will be available in America.

Later on Sunday (local time), Prime Minister Modi interacted with the CEOs of leading US-based companies to foster greater collaborations between the two countries in the cutting-edge areas of AI, quantum computing, semiconductors, and biotechnology, among others.

PM Modi emphasized India’s growth prospects and discussed initiatives to foster collaborations and innovation across diverse sectors.

Following this, he held bilateral talks with the Nepali Prime Minister, KP Sharma Oli, at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel in New York.

The two leaders reviewed the unique and close bilateral relationship between India and Nepal, and expressed satisfaction at the progress made in diverse sectors, including development partnership, hydropower cooperation, people-to-people ties, and enhancing connectivity – physical, digital and in the domain of energy, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The Prime Minister congratulated Nepal on becoming the 101st country to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA) as a full member, and underlined the importance of a regional response to the challenge of climate change.

“Nepal is a priority partner of India under its Neighbourhood First Policy. This meeting continues the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between India and Nepal in furtherance of our Neighbourhood First policy,” the MEA stated.

Taking to social media platform X, PM Modi said the two countries look forward to add even more momentum to their ties.

“Had a very good meeting with Prime Minister KP Oli in New York. The India-Nepal friendship is very robust and we look forward to adding even more momentum to our ties. Our talks focused on issues such as energy, technology and trade,” PM Modi stated in a post on X.

Nepal PM Oli also termed the meeting “fruitful” and said they discussed various matters of bilateral relations.

“Had a fruitful meeting with the Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi ji on the sidelines of UNGA79. During the meeting, various matters of bilateral relations were discussed,” the Nepal PM said in an X post.

PM Modi also held talks with Kuwait’s Crown Prince, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah on how both countries can strengthen their ties in sectors like pharma, food processing, technology and energy, among others.

The Prime Minister conveyed that India attaches utmost importance to its bilateral relations with Kuwait. Both leaders recalled the strong historical ties and people-to-people linkages between the two countries. They noted with satisfaction that the two countries were supporting each other with energy and food security requirements. They expressed their firm commitment to deepen and diversify bilateral ties for the mutual benefit of both countries.

PM Modi also thanked the Crown Prince for ensuring the well-being of the Indian community in Kuwait, which is the largest diaspora group in the country.

“The meeting between the leadership of the two countries is expected to impart a fresh momentum to bilateral ties between India and Kuwait,” the MEA stated.

Taking to X, PM Modi said, “The talks with His Highness Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, the Crown Prince of Kuwait, were very productive. We discussed how to add vigour to India-Kuwait ties in sectors like pharma, food processing, technology, energy and more.”

He also held a bilateral meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The Prime Minister expressed his “deep concern” at the humanitarian situation in Gaza and reaffirmed India’s continued support to the Palestinian people.

PM Modi arrived in New York in the second leg of his three-day visit to the United States. On Saturday, PM Modi took part in the Quad Summit and held bilateral meetings with US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

He will also address the ‘Summit of the Future’ at the UN General Assembly in New York today.