India's Modi to meet Obama, address Congress next month
US President Barack Obama will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington next month to discuss security and other issues and the Indian leader will be granted the rare honor of addressing both houses of Congress.
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The White House said Obama and Modi will discuss economic growth, climate change, clean energy, and security and defense cooperation during their June 7 meeting.
It will be Modi's fourth trip to the United States since he became prime minister in 2014.
"The visit will highlight the deepening of the US-India relationship in key areas," the White House said in a statement on May 20. The two countries' partnership is seen as critical in Washington, which is seeking to counterbalance China's increasing power.
Modi will address a joint meeting of the US Congress, an opportunity extended to few foreign leaders, the day after the White House meeting, US House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a tweet.
The invitation is a sharp turnaround for Modi, who was once barred from the United States over massacres of Muslims. Last year there were only two joint addresses to Congress - by Pope Francis and by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, another important US ally in Asia.
