Donald Trump to speak with PM Modi on Tuesday

Washington/New Delhi, Jan 24 (IANS) Newly-installed US President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak over phone with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday night, four days after he was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States.

According to a White House press release, Trump will speak to Modi at 11.30 p.m. IST (1 p.m. D.C. time), marking the first official dialogue between the heads of the two democracies.

Trump has called four other foreign leaders over the phone since he took over charge from Barack Obama on January 20.

The first to receive the call from Trump was Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau followed by Mexican Premier Pena Nieto.

Trump called up Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday and dialled Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Monday.

The Indian PM also gave a congratulatory call to Trump after his surprising victory in the November 8 US presidential election in which he defeated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

In a series of congratulatory tweets, PM Modi had said he looked forward to working with President Trump to "further deepen" India-US ties and "realise the full potential of our cooperation".

All throughout his campaign, Trump pushed his India-friendly stand and many times spoke about how important it is to strengthen the relationship with India and Israel if he is elected the 45th President of the United States.

At a fundraising event organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition in New Jersey on October 15 last year, Trump praised India's fast growth rate and Modi's bureaucratic and economic reforms.

"Under a Trump Administration, we are going to become even better friends, in fact, I would take the term better out and we would be the best friend," Trump had told a cheering crowd of Indian-Americans in Edison, New Jersey.

"We are going to have a phenomenal future together," Trump had said praising Modi, adding that "I look forward to working with Prime Minister Modi."