PM Modi to travel to the US on Sept 21, participate in Quad Leaders’ Summit

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the US during September 21-23 to participate in the Quad Leaders’ Summit and the Summit of the Future at the United Nations.
Modi will also address a gathering of the Indian community in New York on September 22 during his three-day visit, the external affairs ministry said on Tuesday.
The fourth Quad Leaders’ Summit is expected to be the most important of the engagements during the visit. India was set to host the summit this year and it initially had plans to organise the meet in New Delhi in January. However, the plans fell through when US President Joe Biden didn’t take up India’s invitation to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations on January 26.
Modi will begin the visit by taking part in the Quad Leaders’ Summit, which is being hosted by Biden in his hometown of Wilmington in Delaware state on September 21, the ministry said. Following the request of the US side to host the summit this year, India agreed to host the next summit in 2025, it said.
The Quad Summit will review progress achieved by the grouping over the past one year and set the agenda for the year ahead to assist countries in the Indo-Pacific to meet their development goals and aspirations, the ministry said.
The White House said earlier that the Quad Leaders’ Summit will focus on bolstering the strategic convergence among India, Australia, Japan and the US, advancing their shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and delivering concrete benefits in key areas for partners in the region.
These areas include maritime security, high-quality infrastructure, critical and emerging technology, cybersecurity, health security, natural disaster response, and climate and clean energy.
This will be the first time Biden will host foreign leaders in Wilmington as president. This is also set to be the final Quad Summit for Biden and Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, who have both decided to step down from their positions.
On September 23, Modi will address the Summit of the Future at the UN General Assembly in New York. The theme of the summit is “Multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow”.
A large number of world leaders are expected to participate in this summit, and Modi will hold bilateral meetings with several of them on the sidelines.
While in New York, Modi will address a gathering of the Indian community on September 22. He will also interact with CEOs of leading US-based companies to foster collaboration between the two sides in cutting-edge areas such as AI, quantum computing, semiconductors and biotechnology.
Modi is also expected to interact with thought leaders and other stakeholders active in India-US relations.