The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
New Delhi—President Barack Obama was greeted in India Sunday with an elaborate welcome at the country’s sprawling presidential palace, then he solemnly laid a wreath at a memorial honoring the father of India’s independence movement, Mahatma Gandhi.
The president arrived in New Delhi under hazy skies Sunday morning. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was waiting for Obama at the steps of Air Force One and the two men shared a hug, underscoring the warm relationship they have formed in the short time Modi has been in office.
The president and prime minister were to spend much of Sunday holding talks on climate change, defense and economic ties. On Monday, Obama was to be the guest of honor at India’s Republic Day festivities, which mark the day in 1950 when the country’s democratic constitution took force.
“It is a great honor,” Obama said after reviewing an Indian honor guard formation at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace. “We are so grateful for the extraordinary hospitality.”
Following their meetings, Obama and Modi were to issue statements and address reporters.
The normally bustling streets of New Delhi were empty and the sidewalks cleared by Indian police as Obama’s motorcade sped from the palace to Gandhi’s memorial. A massive security presence was in place for Obama’s visit, with numerous roadblocks and armed men lining the streets.
Obama walked in his socks into a walled courtyard to lay a large white wreath at the site where Indian independence icon Mahatma Gandhi was cremated.
He then shoveled dirt and poured a pitcher of water around a young tree planted in his honor at the memorial.
While much of Obama’s trip here was to be symbolic, the White House was seeking to make progress on numerous policy matters. Relations between the US and India have been strained in recent years, but have been improving since Modi took office last year.
AP