Trip to celebrate close ties between US and India: Melania Trump

An "excited" US First Lady Melania Trump has said that she and President Donald Trump were looking forward to their first visit to India which would be an occasion to celebrate the close ties between the the two countries.

President Trump will pay a state visit to India on February 24 and 25 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Apart from New Delhi, the President and the First Lady will visit Ahmedabad, capital of Gujarat, Modi's home state.

In a tweet, Melania Trump said her maiden trip to India as the First Lady is an occasion to celebrate the close ties between the two countries.

The 49-year-old US First Lady also thanked Prime Minister Modi for the "kind invitation" to visit India.

"Looking forward to visiting Ahmedabad and New Delhi later this month," she said. President Trump and "I are excited for the trip and to celebrate the close ties between the USA and India," she said.

Melania Trump was responding to Prime Minister Modi's tweet on Wednesday in which he termed the US President and the First Lady's visit to India as a "very special one".

"India will accord a memorable welcome to our esteemed guests. This visit is a very special one and it will go a long way in further cementing India-USA friendship," Modi said in his tweet.