U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in India attending an international investment conference where he is promoting economic ties with the South Asian nation, ahead of a visit by President Barack Obama later this month.

Kerry arrived in the capital of Gujarat state, Ahmedabad, on Sunday leading a U.S. delegation to the Gujarat Investment Summit, which seeks to promote responsible sustainable development.

The top U.S. diplomat will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss plans for Obama’s visit to participate in India’s annual Republic Day ceremonies.

In an address at the summit Sunday, Kerry discussed bilateral and global trade issues.

“We share Prime Minister Modi’s goal of increasing our countries’ annual trade five-fold in the years ahead and we want to expand our commercial ties and change the way our businesses talk with one another,” he said.

Kerry stopped briefly in Germany Saturday and met with the Sultan of Oman.

The State Department says Kerry and Sultan Qaboos met for about 90 minutes in Munich Saturday afternoon. The 74-year-old sultan has been in Europe for medical treatment for several months.

Officials say the wide-ranging conversation covered a variety of topics that included the ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran, as well as concerns about the threat of violent extremism following the recent attacks in Paris.

On the sidelines of the India conference, Kerry will hold talks with the prime minister of Bhutan in what will be the first bilateral meeting between a U.S. secretary of state and a top Bhutanese official.

Kerry’s travels will also take him to Geneva, Switzerland, where he will discuss Iran’s nuclear program with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Wednesday. The meeting comes ahead of the next round of nuclear talks beginning there on January 15.

From Geneva, the top U.S. diplomat travels on to Bulgaria for talks on issues that include security cooperation and bilateral trade.
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