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AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott today met with the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, in New Delhi, India. This marks the first time the Prime Minister has met with a United States Governor. During the meeting, Governor Abbott thanked the Prime Minister for his hospitality and spoke on the importance of continuing to grow Texas-India relations both economically and culturally.

“I am extremely grateful to Prime Minister Modi for welcoming me to his country and for the opportunity to discuss the meaningful relationship between Texas and India,” said Governor Abbott. “While Texas and India have long maintained an important economic relationship, this trip has also highlighted our commonly shared values of family, faith, community and hard work. These are the bonds that we will continue to build on, and I look forward to growing this partnership even more after this successful trip.”

A readout of the meeting can be found below:

The Governor and Prime Minister Modi met for more than an hour this afternoon at the Prime Minister’s residence in New Delhi. The Governor talked about how productive his trip has been and the potential it will have in creating more jobs and investment for the people of Texas. The Governor and Prime Minister spoke on how they can continue to strengthen the strong bond between Texas and India. Among the topics the two leaders discussed were Hurricane Harvey relief efforts, the Indian-American community in Texas, healthcare, defense, their respective economies, and energy. The Governor and Prime Minister concluded the meeting by reaffirming their commitment to continuing the successful partnership between Texas and India.

Narendra Modi is the 16th and current Prime Minister of India. He has come from humble beginnings and continues to help transform India into the engaging and resilient democracy that it is today through his hard work. Lead by his strong belief in ‘Antyodaya’ and inclusiveness, Modi is frequently active in the field of foreign policy and has embarked on international trips to Nepal, Australia, Fiji, Seychelles, Japan, Mongolia, China, South Korea, France, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates. On a global scale, Prime Minister Modi has been an active participant in numerous conferences and summits such as the COP21 in Paris, the India-Africa Summit in New Delhi, the FIPIC Summit and the Nuclear Security Summit. Within India, the Prime Minister is responsible for the creation of policy initiatives such as the Digital India Mission and ‘Swachh Bharat Mission,’ which calls for cleanliness across India.