First time ever
In May, Modi
became the first Indian prime minister to visit Mongolia. During the trip,
he announced that India will extend a $1-billion credit line to the mineral-rich country. This was widely seen as India’s attempt to strengthen its influence in China’s backyard.
First in 60 years
Modi will make a
stopover in Ireland before his US visit later this week, marking the first visit by an Indian prime minister to the country in around 60 years. Jawaharlal Nehru was the last Indian prime minister to visit Ireland in 1956. Modi’s schedule in Dublin includes a meeting with the head of the Irish government, Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
First time in 42 years
Modi visited Canada in April this year. This was the first prime ministerial visit from India after Indira Gandhi’s trip in 1973. Modi’s visit
generated business worth more than 1.6 billion Canadian dollars (Rs7,944 crore), according to official figures released by the government. During the trip, the two governments
signed 16 commercial agreements across sectors including aerospace, defence, education, energy and information and communications technology.
First time in 34 years
In August, Modi visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is home to a non-resident Indian population of around 2.6 million. Indira Gandhi was the last Indian prime minister to have made a trip to the country in 1981.
In the UAE, Modi addressed a gathering of around 50,000 Indians at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Modi’s 75-minute speech ended with the entire crowd chanting “Bharat Mata ki jai” (Hail Mother India)after him.
In the UAE, Modi addressed a gathering of around 50,000 Indians at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Modi’s 75-minute speech ended with the entire crowd chanting “Bharat Mata ki jai” (Hail Mother India)after him.
First time in 33 years
In March, Modi became the first Indian prime minister to travel to Seychelles in 33 years. The visit “reflects our foreign policy priorities in India’s immediate and extended neighbourhood,”
he said. Seychelles has a presence of Indian diaspora, and the two countries have a
history of military cooperation.
In November 2014,
Modi made a trip to Fiji, also a first by an Indian prime minister in 33 years. During the trip, Modi announced visas on arrival for Fijians, about 37% of whom are of Indian origin.
First time in nearly three decades
Modi visited Australia in November 2014. No Indian prime minister had visited the country since
Rajiv Gandhi in 1986. “You will not have to wait another 28 years,” Modi promptly told a crowd of Indian Australians in Sydney.
In March this year, as the final stop of his tour of three Indian Ocean island nations, Modi became the
first Indian prime minister to visit Sri Lanka in 29 years. During this visit, Modi held talks with Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena and prime minister Ranil Wickramasinghe. Rajiv Gandhi was the last Indian prime minister to visit Sri Lanka in 1987.
First time in 17 years
Modi became the first Indian prime minister to visit Nepal in 17 years when he landed in Kathmandu in August 2014. Accompanied by a 101-member delegation, Modi was
the first foreign leader to address the Constituent Assembly of Nepal. He made a
second trip to Nepal in November 2014, when he flagged off a bus service between Delhi and Kathmandu, and signed more than 10 agreements with India’s Himalayan neighbour.
