Modi, Obama hug warmly as they hold summit talks

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama hugged warmly as the two leaders met here on Monday for their third summit meeting in a year.

"Leaders of the oldest and largest democracy meet! PM @narendarmodi and @POTUS greet each other in New York," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted along with a picture of the two leaders embracing each other.

"An embrace at the entrance. PM @narendramodi meets President @BarackObama for their 5th meeting in one year," tweeted external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup.

Modi and Obama have also met twice during multilateral summits over the past year.

The two sides later met for delegation-level talks.

"A partnership that will define the 21st century. PM @narendramodi & Pres @BarackObama hold delegation level talks," tweeted the MEA.

The meeting comes days after the first India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue here, headed by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Modi returned to New York on Monday on the last leg of his five-day US tour after spending two days in the West Coast where he met IT honchos, including of Google, Facebook and others.

He started the day with a meeting with his British counterpart David Cameron and then met French President Francois Hollande.

Modi is also slated to attend a summit, organised by Obama, on countries that contribute to UN peacekeeping forces.