US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted a State dinner for Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, June 22 evening (June 23 IST). Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and the Reliance Foundation founder and chairperson Nita Ambani were also among those attending the dinner.

Mukesh Ambani called the PM's first State visit a "historic" one for both countries — India and the US.

#WATCH | Mukesh Ambani & Nita Ambani arrive at the White House for the State Dinner@narendramodi @JoeBiden @PMOIndia #ModiInUSA #IndiaUSRelations #PMModiUSVisit #ModiUSVisit2023 #NarendraModi #HistoricStateVisit2023 #IndiaUSAPartnership #USWelcomesModi #CNBCTV18Digital pic.twitter.com/w7hHtVdWxg

— CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18News) June 23, 2023

The Bidens invited around 400 guests to the State dinner. The guest list also included Indra Nooyi, Anand Mahindra, Nikhil Kamath, Antony Blinken, Shantanu Narayen, Eric Garcetti, Kevin McCarthy, Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai, Gina Raimondo, among others.

The US Presidents typically host a state dinner to honour a visiting head of government or reigning monarch. According to The White House Historical Association, a state dinner is one of the grandest affairs of the White House and is a way to break bread with leaders of friendly nations.

The state dinner and PM Modi’s state visit itself is a nod to New Delhi’s rise as America’s crucial global partner. The significance of this event can be gauged by the fact that President Biden has only twice previously extended such an invitation in his term so far — to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Check LIVE updates on PM Modi's US visit here

First Published:Jun 23, 2023 8:02 AM IST