India has invited US President Donald Trump to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations in 2019, government sources said.
India has sent a pre-invite to the White House to know if it is convenient for President Donald Trump to be chief guest at the Republic Day celebration. A pre-invite is followed by a formal invitation if the dignitary says yes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited President Trump for a bilateral visit to India during his visit to Washington in June 2017
A joint statement issued after the talks had said, “President Trump gladly accepted Prime Minister Modi’s invitation to visit India.”
The Trump administration has been pushing for deeper strategic cooperation with India, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region where China was expanding its influence.
If Trump accepts, he would be the second US president after Barack Obama to be the chief guest at Republic Day celebrations. Obama was the chief guest on Republic Day in 2015.
