Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Visits NYC, Celebrates Cultural Ties & Chess Wins

Modi Visits NYC, Celebrates India-US Ties & Chess Victories

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on a multi-day US visit, made a stop in New York on Sunday. He addressed a cultural celebration at Long Island's Nassau Coliseum, where he highlighted the strengthening ties between India and the United States.

Modi shared exciting news with the crowd of 13,000: India secured gold medals in both the men's and women's tournaments at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary.

He also commended the US for returning nearly 300 antiquities to India, stolen or trafficked from the country. This brings the total number of cultural artifacts returned by the US since 2016 to nearly 600.

Modi emphasized the importance of democracy in a world marked by conflicts: "This year, 2024, is a very important one for the entire world. On the one hand, there are conflicts raging between several countries in the world, there is tension. And on the other, democracy is being celebrated in several countries of the world. India and America are also together in this celebration of democracy."

Modi's visit comes after a summit with US President Joe Biden: They met in Wilmington, Delaware, along with leaders from Australia and Japan.

Modi is expected to attend a United Nations summit on Monday ahead of this week's General Assembly.

The event in Nassau was sponsored by the Indo American Community of USA.