PM to visit Washington

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to travel to Washington in September for a bilateral visit, which would be the second during US President Barack Obama's tenure.
Singh's plan to visit Washington is in response to an invitation by Obama which was conveyed to the Prime Minister by US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns during his visit here last week, sources said.
The Prime Minister's bilateral visit could be clubbed with his tour to New York in September for attending the United Nations General Assembly, they said.
The exact dates for the tour will be firmed up after US Secretary of State John Kerry undertakes a visit here next month.

This will be Singh's second bilateral visit to the US during Obama's tenure. The Prime Minister undertook a State visit to the US in November 2009 when the two sides gave a major push to the strategic bilateral relations.
During that visit, the two sides signed a number of pacts, including one on cooperation in counter-terrorism.

This was significant as it came against the backdrop of major terror attack in Mumbai in November 2008.
Singh again travelled to Washington in April 2010 to attend the Nuclear Security Summit.
Obama undertook a bilateral visit here the next year, lending further momentum to the ties.

During his visit here, Obama had declared US support for India's bid for permanent membership of the expanded UN Security Council.