Sept 24 summit in Washington
India and the US will review their bilateral strategic, defence and trade ties besides the situation in Afghanistan during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s summit with President Joe Biden in Washington on September 24.
The two leaders, who will be meeting in person for the first time since Biden took charge as President early this year, are also expected to figure out ways to deal with radicalisation and terrorism besides major regional issues, Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla said here on Tuesday.
Giving details of the Prime Minister’s visit to the US, where he will also take part in the first in-person Quad nations summit in Washington, Shringla said Modi and Biden are expected to deliberate on ways to bolster bilateral ties in trade, investment and defence and security.
Modi will leave for the US on Wednesday and will return on Sunday.
His delegation will include External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Shringla among others. Jaishankar is already in the US.
Shringla said the developments in Afghanistan are also likely to come up during Modi-Biden meet. The Prime Minister will also meet US Vice President Kamala Harris.
Besides holding bilateral talks with the US leaders, the Prime Minister will participate in the first in-person summit of the Quad in Washington on September 24 that is expected to broadly focus on contemporary global and regional issues. In Washington, Modi will also meet a number of top executives of major American companies, Shringla said.
Replying to a question on the recent security partnership among the US, Australia and the UK named AUKUS and its possible impact on Quad, Shringla said the two groups are not similar in nature.
The last time Modi visited the US was in September 2019 when he and the then US President Donald Trump addressed the Howdy-Modi event in Houston.
The US is hosting the in-person summit of the leaders of Quad to boost practical cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region as well as to send a strong signal about Washington’s commitment to the grouping.
In March, Biden hosted the first-ever summit of the Quad leaders in the virtual format that vowed to strive for an Indo-Pacific region that is free, open, inclusive, anchored by democratic values, and unconstrained by coercion, sending an apparent message to China.
Shringla said the leaders will also exchange views on contemporary global issues such as critical and emerging technologies, connectivity and infrastructure, cyber security, maritime security, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, climate change and education.
The summit is expected to provide a valuable opportunity for dialogue and interactions among the leaders, anchored in their shared vision of ensuring a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.
After concluding his engagements in Washington, Modi will travel to New York to attend the UN General Assembly on September 25. The Prime Minister is scheduled to address the General Debate of the High-Level Segment of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 25 in New York.