Ahmedabad: The U.S. and India are committed to working together to stop terrorists and fight their radical ideology, visiting U.S. President Donald Trump said here on Monday.
Describing America's relations with Pakistan as “good'', Mr Trump said that since taking office his administration is working in a very positive way with Pakistan to crack down on terror organisations and militants that operate on the Pakistani border.
He was speaking at the “Namaste Trump'' event, organised at the newly constructed cricket stadium, the world's largest, in Motera here.
This is the first stand alone visit to India by a U.S. President.
“Our relationship with Pakistan is a very good one. Thanks to these efforts we are beginning to see signs of big progress with Pakistan and we are hopeful for reduced tensions, greater stability and the future of harmony for all of the nations of South Asia,'' he said.
Mr. Trump said that both the countries are united in defending citizens from threat of radical Islamic terrorism.
“Under my administration, we unleashed full power of American military on blood thirsty killers of ISIS. Today ISIS territorial caliphate is 100% destroyed. Monster Al Baghdadi is dead,'' he said.
He also announced finalisation of U.S. $ 3 billion deals to give finest state of the art military helicopters and other equipment to the Indian armed forces.
“As we continue to build our defence cooperation, the US looks forward to providing India with some of the best and most feared military equipment on the planet. We make the greatest weapons ever made. We make the best and we are dealing now with India,'' he said.
In his half-an-hour address at the packed stadium with nearly 1.25 lakh people, the U.S. President, on his first official visit to India, touched upon a number of themes that deepen India-US relations and made references to Swami Vivekanand, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and even Bollywood as he referred to DDLJ and Sholay.
The crowd constantly joyously cheered Mr Trump as he punctuated his address with achievements which India has made in the recent years.
Reiterating his government's resolve to boost cooperation in a number of areas including space exploration, trade, rural development, digital access, the U.S. President said that India bosts of biggest middle class and stressed on India's potential to rise and make its people more prosperous.
He noted that government efforts would spur India to eliminate poverty completely in the next decade.
Hailing Prime Minister Modi's leadership as “exceptional'', the U.S. President paid glowing tributes to Mr Modi's “hard work and devotion.''
Noting Mr. Modi's humble origins, he said: “PM Modi started out as ‘tea wallah' and worked as a tea-seller. Everybody loves him but I will tell you this, he is very tough.''
Turning to the Prime Minister on stage, he described him as a great champion of Indian people. Mr. Trump said: “PM Modi you are not just the pride of Gujarat, you are living proof that with hard work and devotion, Indians can accomplish anything at all, anything they want. The Prime Minister is a moving story of an incredible rise. We will always remember this remarkable hospitality. India will hold a special place in our hearts.''
To the lustily cheering crowds, the U.S. President declared “America loves India, America respects India and America will always be a faithful and loyal friend to the Indian people.''
He also paid rich tributes to India's rich diversity, large and vibrant democracy and unity which was an inspiration for the entire world.
Seated among dignitaries in the front row in the stadium were members of Mr. Trump's family -- daughter Ivanka, son-in-law Jared Kushner and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
