New Delhi: US President Donald Trump spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over phone on Friday and the two leaders "expressed satisfaction" over the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2017, the White House said today.
The GES 2017 was co-hosted by India and the United States in Hyderabad late last month.
Trump’s daughter Ivanka, who is also a senior advisor to the President, had led the US delegation at the three-day event. Her participation in the annual summit was announced during Modi's visit to the White House in June.
“The leaders expressed satisfaction with the recent Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), co-hosted by the United States and India, which brought together entrepreneurs and investors from around the world, including 38 US states, the District of Colombia, and Puerto Rico,” the White House said in a brief readout of the call.
This year’s summit, with the theme "Women, First Priority for All", focused on supporting women entrepreneurs and fostering economic growth globally.
PM Modi had attended the inauguration of the summit with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman on November 28.
About 1,500 delegates including entrepreneurs, investors and eco-system supporters from 150 nations participated in the event, more than half of them women.
On Thursday, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters that the summit was "a tremendous success when we bring in 1500 entrepreneurs from around the world".
“For all of our progress, gender divides on access to technology, nutrition, and health, preventing women, their families, and their communities from reaching their full potential,” Nauert said.
Hyderabad also played host to First Daughter Ivanka Trump, who lead the US delegation at the GES and made a mark with her endorsement of women entrepreneurs and effusive praise for PM Modi.
She had lauded the Prime Minister's transformation from a humble tea-seller to the leader of the world's largest democracy. In a boost to burgeoning India-US bilateral ties, Ivanka had said "India has a true friend in the White House", a throwback to her father's words in the recent past.
On his part, PM Modi too talked up bilateral relations, saying the GES 2017 event "not only connects Silicon Valley with Hyderabad but also showcases the close ties between the US and India."
Prior to attending the inaugural session of the GES on Tuesday, PM Modi and Ivanka had a tete-a-tete at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre. Ivanka also attended a lavish dinner hosted by the Prime Minister at the opulent Taj Falaknuma Palace hotel.
A former supermodel turned fashion designer and entrepreneur, Ivanka was invited to speak at the summit by PM Modi during his visit to the White House in June.
