US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the Andrews Air Force Base. (Photo: Associated Press)
US President Barack Obama, accompanied by wife Michelle, left for his
three-day visit to India from the Andrews Air Force base on Saturday evening.
The US President is coming to India on the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi; he will be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations on January 26.
The Presidential aircraft will have a brief refueling halt at Ramstein in Germany; it will touch down in Delhi at 10 am on Sunday at the Air Force Station, Palam.
In a message to President Pranab Mukherjee on the occasion of Republic Day, President Obama said he and his wife Michelle were looking forward to the India visit and enjoying the "generosity, hospitality, and beauty that marked our last visit" in 2010.
"As we work to deepen the ties between our great democracies and advance our partnership for the 21st century, we will continue to do so on the basis of the democratic ideals contained in our constitutions," he said.
On his arrival, President Obama will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at about 12 noon at the Rashtrapati Bhavan by the President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi; he will then pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.
President Obama will then join PM Modi for a working lunch at the Hyderabad House and participate in a "walk and talk" there, the White House said.
The two leaders will then have an expanded delegation level meeting, which is expected to last for about an hour. Later in the evening, President Obama is scheduled to meet US embassy personnel and their families. He will then attend the state banquet hosted by President Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
On January 26, President Obama will be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations, held at Delhi's Rajpath. Later, the Obamas will attend an 'at home' reception hosted by President Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
In the afternoon, President Obama and PM Modi will participate in a CEO forum roundtable and address the US-India Business Summit.
On January 27, the US President will give an address at the Siri Fort Auditorium.
President Obama has cancelled his plans to visit the Taj Mahal; he is cutting short his visit to fly to Saudi Arabia following the death of King Abdullah. Saudi Arabia is a longstanding US ally and the world's leading oil exporter.
In an official statement, the White House said, "The President regrets that he will be unable to visit Agra during this trip".