Former US President Jimmy Carter, the 39th President and Nobel Peace laureate, died on Sunday at the age of 100. He was the longest-lived US president in history.
Carter met several world leaders, including former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during his 2006 visit to India. While Carter served as the US President from 1977 to 1981, Singh was the Indian PM between 2004 and 2014. Singh passed away on December 26, 2024.
Archive visuals of the two leaders meeting during Carter's visit to India in 2006 emerged on Monday. This move is seen as reinforcing US-India relations.
According to reports, Carter visited India in 2006, after 28 years, in connection with a humanitarian project. "Carter is in India for the Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter Partnership award and for this years' Jimmy Carter Work Project," Alamy reported.
In 1978, Carter came to India as the US President to meet President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy and Prime Minister Morarji Desai.
He was the third American president to visit India and the only one with a personal connection to the country, as his mother, Lillian, had worked here as a health volunteer with the Peace Corps during the late 1960s.
Carter is best remembered for his visit to a Gurgaon village, Daulatpur Nasirabad, which was renamed Carterpuri.
“The visit was so successful that shortly after, village residents renamed the area 'Carterpuri' and remained in contact with the White House for the rest of President Carter’s tenure," the Carter Centre said.
"The trip made a lasting impression: Festivities abounded in the village when President Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, and January 3 remains a holiday in Carterpuri," the Carter Centre said.
The Carter Centre said that Carter's 1978 visit to India laid the groundwork for an enduring partnership that has greatly benefited both countries.
Meanwhile, Ronak D Desai, Partner and India Practice Leader at Paul Hastings law firm, said Carter's presidency marked a pivotal moment in US-India relations.
After the strain caused by the Nixon administration's infamous “tilt” toward Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971, Carter understood the critical importance of re-engaging with India as a democratic partner in a rapidly evolving global order.
"His visit to India in 1978 was not merely symbolic but a substantive effort to rebuild trust and establish a framework for dialogue rooted in mutual respect and shared values," he was quoted by news agency PTI.
“While Carter’s presidency was often viewed through the lens of domestic challenges, his contributions to US-India relations were transformative," Desai said.
(With inputs from agencies)
Catch all the Business News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.