Washington D.C.: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who departed from here for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the final leg of his three nation tour, said that his Washington DC visit was full of fruitful meetings and interactions and added that the Nuclear Security Summit 2016 discussed issues of great global importance.
“Farewell Washington! After 2 days of intense diplomacy, PM @narendramodi leaves for final leg of his 3 nation tour,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.
Prior to his departure, Prime Minister Modi held bilateral talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.
“Continuing the dialogue with my friend @AbeShinzo.we are very optimistic about what India-Japan ties can achieve,” the Prime Minister tweeted.
Earlier in the day, he called on his British and Canadian counterparts David Cameron and Justin Trudeau respectively, reaffirming bilateral ties with the nations.
Prime Minister Modi also met with the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and Switzerland President Johann Schneider-Ammann.
While addressing the plenary session of the Nuclear Security Summit earlier in the day, the Prime Minister made key announcements including that India will continue to accord a high national priority to nuclear security through strong institutional framework, independent regulatory agency and trained and specialized manpower.
He also asserted that India will counter nuclear smuggling and strengthen the national detection architecture for nuclear and radioactive material and that a dedicated Counter-Nuclear Smuggling Team has been set up.
Prime Minister Modi maintained his tough stand on terrorism, and while intervening on nuclear terrorism threat at the Nuclear Security Summit dinner at the White House hosted by US President Barack Obama, he called to focus on three contemporary features of terrorism.
“First, today’s terrorism uses extreme violence as theatre. Second, we are no longer looking for a man in a cave, but we are hunting for a terrorist in a city with a computer or a smart phone. Third, State actors working with nuclear traffickers and terrorists present the greatest risk,” he said.
During his two day visit to Saudi Arabia, the Prime Minister aims to revive India’s strategic partnership with the oil-rich nation, particularly in areas of counter-terrorism, energy and trade.
He is also expected to hold bilateral talks with King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud on issues including ways to step up existing counter-terrorism mechanisms. (ANI)