PM Modi to kick off his five-country visit tomorrow

Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be leaving for Afghanistan tomorrow on the first leg of his five-nation tour where he would be inaugurating, along with President Ashraf Ghani, the 'Afghan-India Friendship Dam', which was earlier called the Salma Dam, in Herat province.

Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who divulged details of Prime Minister Modi's five-country tour to Afghanistan, Qatar, Switzerland, the United States and Mexico beginning on June 4, said President Ghani would be hosting a lunch for the visiting dignitary.

"After the inauguration, he will leave for Qatar. In Qatar, the Prime Minister will attend a dinner hosted by Qatar Prime Minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani and would also be visiting a workers' camp in Doha," he said.

On Sunday, the Prime Minister's day begins with a meeting with business leaders followed by a restricted meeting with the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Thereafter, several agreements between the two sides would be signed during a lunch hosted by the Emir. And then, there would be a meeting with the father of the Emir.

Later, the Prime Minister will have an interaction with the Indian community and thereafter, he will depart for Switzerland in the evening.

"His programme in Switzerland on Monday begins with a meeting with the President of the Swiss Confederation Johann Schneider-Ammann, followed by a business meeting," said Jaishankar.

The Foreign Secretary said the Prime Minister will then leave Switzerland for the United States, where he arrives directly in Washington on June 6.

"On the 6th, he has three programmes- he will be going to the Arlington National Cemetery for a wreath laying then he has two events at Blair House, where he is staying. One is a meeting with heads of American think tanks and the other is the function involving repatriation of cultural property, basically Indian antiquities, which are in the U.S. and which are being returned to India," he said.

The Prime Minister would be meeting US President Barak Obama on June 7, followed by a lunch in his honour.

"In the evening, the Prime Minister will be meeting business leaders in the U.S. and addressing the U.S.-India Business Council," said Jaishankar, adding Defence Secretary Aston Carter will be calling on the Prime Minister between the two meetings,.

On 8th of June, the forenoon is devoted to the U.S. Congress, he said.

"He would be going to the U.S. Congress and meeting to the Speaker and the Congressional leadership and would be delivering an address to the joint meeting to the U.S. Congress. This would be followed by a lunch hosted by the Speaker in the honour of the Prime Minister. And then, a reception jointly hosted by the House and Senate Committees on Foreign Relations and the India Cocas, followed by a brief community reception," he added.

Jaishankar said Prime Minister Modi would be on the afternoon of June 8 flying off the Mexico City, where he would have a meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

"The President would be hosting a dinner for him. And after the dinner, he would be taking off from Mexico to return to India," he said.