Obama to Be 'Chief Guest' at India's Republic Day in January 26:
The White House says President Barack Obama are going to be the Chief Guest at India's Republican Day celebration in Indian capital in Jan.
This will be the primary time in history a sitting U.S. president can attend the celebration.
Obama additionally can meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, World Health Organization in his invite to the president delineate him as a "friend."
The White House says the talks can strengthen and expand U.S.- Indian relations.
Republic Day
Republic Day marks the adoption of the Indian constitution in 1950, finishing the transition to democracy that started once Bharat won independence from UK in 1947.
Earlier this month, the us Associate in Nursingd Bharat proclaimed an agreement to resolve a dispute concerning food subsidies that has delayed the agreement of a world trade accord.
World Trade Organization delegates approved the trade deal last Gregorian calendar month, seeking to contour customs rules and cut the price of shipping merchandise round the world.
Trade pact
The accord required approval of all 159 World Trade Organization members, however Bharat declined to formalize it as a result of issues a couple of clause that restricts the scale of food subsidies governments might give.
The White House issued an announcement on November thirteen, 2014, oral communication the U.S. and Bharat united on a provision that concerns World Trade Organization members to not challenge the grant programs till they agree on a "permanent solution" to the matter.
The White House aforesaid the U.S. and Bharat can gift the proposal to the World Trade Organization "in the close to future."
An Indian law passed last year concerns the govt to produce wheat and rice at low costs to 850 million individuals.
Developing nations say that sort of grant is important to make sure their individuals have adequate food, however the World Trade Organization worries the programs might distort world markets.
Obama phones Pakistan PM after announcing India trip:
Hours after the White House publicly confirmed that President Obama will be the chief guest at India's Republic Day, the US president phoned Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to tell him that Washington values its ties with Islamabad.
The mollifying phone call made from Air Force One as Obama headed out to Las Vegas after announcing the India visit is ostensibly aimed at assuaging any feelings of hurt or pique in Islamabad, which has seen US-India ties grow steadily even as its own tormented relationship with Washington has floundered because of its dodgy stand on terrorism.
Having long demanded equal diplomatic treatment from the US vis-a-vis India, particularly in terms of presidential visits, Pakistan has lately found itself out in the cold despite its notional standing as a US ally. Earlier President Clinton had visited Pakistan for five hours on his way back after a five-day visit to India in 2006. President Bush had too stopped by during his return from a 2006 trip to India in a visit that was shrouded in secrecy and tight security.
The contrast to their India visit could not have been starker.
President Obama put an end to any such contrast or comparison by simply not going to Pakistan during his visit in 2010. Pakistan was promised that he would visit the country separately in 2011, but that pledge was effectively torpedoed when US forces found (and killed) Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad in May that year after years of suspicion that Pakistan was sheltering him.
The US president has now stepped it up several notches with New Delhi by accepting Prime Minister Modi's invitation to be the chief guest on India's Republic Day. The gesture goes far beyond a ceremonial commitment considering India now displays its military might, including its latest hardware, during the Republic Day parade. New Delhi wheeled out its latest nuclear capable Agni-5 missile in the 2013 Republic Day parade.
While the White House was circumspect on Obama's phone call to Sharif, the Pakistani foreign office said the country's prime minister asked Obama to play a role in resolving the Kashmir issue when he travels to India, while blaming New Delhi for the current deadlock in bilateral talks.
"The Prime Minister (Nawaz Sharif) referred to his visit to India earlier this year, which was aimed at taking Pakistan-India relations forward. Subsequent unfortunate steps on India's part, including cancellation of foreign secretary level talks and the unprovoked firing across the LoC/Working Boundary resulting in civilian casualties, indicated that India was averse to normalization of relations with Pakistan," a statement from the Pakistan's foreign office said.
"Thus, while we remain open to the resumption of bilateral dialogue, the onus is on India to create a conducive environment in this regard. President Obama expressed his understanding for our position," it added.
The statement said that Sharif recalled his invitation extended to Obama in Washington to visit Pakistan and said he conveyed the expectation of the people of Pakistan to welcome President Obama sometime in the future. Obama have also assured Sharif that he would undertake a visit to Pakistan at an early date, "as soon as the situation normalizes in the country," according to the statement.
But the White House readout on the call made no mention of Kashmir or any prospective visit to Pakistan.
The White House statement reads:
President Obama spoke by phone today with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan to discuss efforts by the United States and Pakistan to advance shared interests in a stable, secure, and prosperous Pakistan and region. President Obama and Prime Minister Sharif reaffirmed the valued relationship between the two countries and the importance of the US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue as a framework for guiding the bilateral relationship. The two leaders reiterated their commitment to combat terrorism and extremism and to promote peace and stability in the region. The President welcomed Pakistan's improved relations with the new Afghan government.
Pakistan's ministry of foreign affairs statement reads:
President Barak Obama of the United States of America called the Prime Minister on telephone this evening. During their exchanges marked by cordiality, Pakistan-US bilateral relations and the evolving situation in the region, were discussed.
During the conversation, the Prime Minister recalled his warm and friendly meeting with the US President in Washington in October last year and their subsequent interaction at the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague in March this year. The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction at the direction of Pakistan-US relations which were on an upward trajectory, since his government came to power last year. President Obama noted that Pakistan-US relations were strong and robust. He was pleased to see that the Government had determined the right economic priorities and was successfully overcoming the challenges.
President Obama informed the Prime Minister of his forthcoming visit to India. Recalling his invitation extended in Washington, the Prime Minister conveyed the expectation of the people of Pakistan to welcome President Obama to Pakistan sometime in the future. The President also assured the Prime Minister that he would undertake a visit to Pakistan at an early date, as soon as the situation normalizes in the country.
Discussing the regional situation, the Prime Minister referred to the improvement of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations, as manifest in President Ashraf Ghani's recent visit to Islamabad. The US President appreciated the Prime Minister's efforts in this regard and called it pivotal for the peace and stability in the region.
The Prime Minister referred to his visit to India earlier this year, which was aimed at taking Pakistan-India relations forward. Subsequent unfortunate steps on India's part, including cancellation of Foreign Secretary level talks and the unprovoked firing across the LoC/Working Boundary resulting in civilian casualties, indicated that India was averse to normalization of relations with Pakistan. Thus, while we remain open to the resumption of bilateral dialogue, the onus is on India to create a conducive environment in this regard. President Obama expressed his understanding for our position.
The Prime Minister also urged President Obama to take up the cause of Kashmir with the Indian leadership, as its early resolution would bring enduring peace, stability and economic cooperation to Asia.
The two leaders agreed to stay engaged to further strengthen Pakistan-US relations in their common desire to promote peace and prosperity in South Asia.
As Obama signs up as Republic Day guest, Modi's India rises on world stage.
It is to state the plain that Narendra Modi is currently rising as a major international leader in his title which the status of India has soared within the six months he has been our Prime Minister. this is often the type of status we've got not commanded since the time of statesman, and if we have a tendency to play our cards right, India are going to be the world's sixth powerhouse - when the USA, China, Germany, Japan and Russia - over subsequent decade.

While Modi has been raising the country's international profile for a moment currently with high-profile visits to Japan, the US and, last, to Australia, to be followed later with Russia and also the kingdom, to this point we've got attended dismiss every one of his visits as additional promotional material than substance. Our distrustful belief (including mine) has been that these journeys were additional meant to bolster Modi's image than the country's. we've got currently reached a turning purpose wherever what can be pink-slipped as promotional material is turning into a possible reality. Perceptions have the facility to vary objective reality, and Modi is on the cusp of doing thus.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with USA President Barack Obama. PTIPrime Minister Narendra Modi with USA President Barack Obama. PTI
President Barack Obama's acceptance of Modi's invite to be the guest of honour at the Republic Day parade is probably the tipping purpose that separates pure interference from reality. within the past few weeks India has sorted out its world organization disagreement with the USA over food subsidies, coaxed a stronger visa deal from Obama for our IT professionals and Stem (science, tech, engineering and maths) students to figure and study within the USA, and usually improved the standard of our bilateral relationship in several areas.
The additional reason why one ought to see this as associate degree grammatical relation purpose for the link is this: each Obama and Modi transcended their personal biases to seem at the long run instead of the past. think about what proportion each leaders have learnt to forgive or forget so as to place their national interests higher than themselves.
Obama had place it on record that he had misgivings concerning Modi turning into Prime Minister as a result of his name (Hussain) - implying that he cannot settle for somebody World Health Organization is appeared to be anti-Muslim. Modi has lost sight of bitter recollections of a USA visa denial to him born additional out of evangelical policy than real concern for communal harmony in India. If the priority was real, no leader from anyplace in West Pakistan or Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for instance, ought to ever are welcome on USA soil. however that's plain not the case.
President Obama's call to be chief guest at the R-Day parade so has each symbolic price and directional electronic messaging on bilateral and political science realities. this is often part as a result of no Indian PM has ever managed to induce the leader of the world's foremost land to return on R-Day, that is our show, our pride. however additional seemingly, this is often additionally as a result of our own feeling concerning ties with the USA. From a political perspective, we've got invariably had a chip on our shoulders concerning the USA from Nehruvian times albeit all aspiring Indians have seen America because the land of dreams and chance and sent their own relation there to coach themselves and find wealthy. Hopefully, the Modi-Obama dialogue can enable each countries to flee the hypocrisies of the past.