PM returns after visit to US and Trinidad & Tobago

Prime minister Manmohan Singh returned here tonight after a nine-day trip that took him to the US and Trinidad & Tobago during which India and the US decided to transform their ties into "one of the defining" relationships of the 21st century.

During his four-day state visit to the US, first by a foreign leader under the 10-month old Obama Administration, Singh met President Barack Obama at the White House and held talks on the entire gamut of bilateral relations, situation in the region and global challenges like terrorism, climate change and economic crisis.

During the visit, the two sides also signed MoUs in counter-terrorism among others, and both sides decided to chalk out a new path for further bilateral ties. One of the key highlights of the visit was the State banquet hosted by Obama at the White House for Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur, a gala event to which enormous colour was added by a cultural programme and special Indian cuisine.

The visit received immense attention in the American media, which commented on the rising influence and leadership of India.

After his US visit, the prime minister left for Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago, to attend the Commonwealth Summit. Singh also met French president Nicholas Sarkozy, British PM Gordon Brown and his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper. A highlight of the visit was the conclusion of negotiations on Civil Nuclear agreement with Canada.

In Port of Spain, where he attended a two-day meeting of the Commonwealth leaders, the prime minister had pushed for a "legally binding substantive outcome" at the Copenhagen climate change meet next month.

Describing his tour as "very productive", Singh had said in Washington: "I am confident that we cannot only continue but also strengthen the momentum of our relations built up in the last few years."