New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be travelling to the US to participate in the Quad Leaders’ Summit on September 24 and also address the UN General Assembly on September 25, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed on Tuesday.
In a statement, the MEA said that the Prime Minister will be participating, along with Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan and US President Joseph R. Biden, in the Leaders’ Summit of the Quadrilateral Framework in Washington DC, on September 24.
The Leaders will review progress made since their first virtual Summit on March 12 this year and discuss regional issues of shared interest.
“As part of their ongoing efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, they will review the Quad Vaccine initiative which was announced in March this year. They 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 would 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,” the statement said.
Prime Minister Modi is also 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.
The theme for this year’s General Debate is “Building Resilience through hope to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalise the United Nations,” the statement said.
The White House, in a statement on Tuesday, said that President Biden “will host the first-ever Quad Leaders’ Summit at the White House on September 24.”
“The Biden-Harris Administration has made elevating the Quad a priority, as seen through the first-ever Quad Leaders-level engagement in March, which was virtual, and now this Summit, which will be in-person. Hosting the leaders of the Quad demonstrates the Biden-Harris Administration’s priority of engaging in the Indo-Pacific, including through new multilateral configurations to meet the challenges of the 21st century.”
“The Quad Leaders will be focused on deepening our ties and advancing practical cooperation on areas such as combatting COVID-19, addressing the climate crisis, partnering on emerging technologies and cyberspace, and promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the White House said.
Ahead of the official confirmation today, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had on September 11, in his opening remarks at the India-Australia 2+2 meeting, said that the meeting was an opportunity to review and take forward the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership “as we prepare for another meeting between our Prime Ministers later this month in the United States” – referring to the proposed meeting between PM Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison.
On Monday, John Kerry, US Special Envoy for Climate, in his statement at the launch of the India-US Climate Action and Finance Mobilisation Dialogue (CAFMD), said that “PM Modi has been a tremendous leader in this (fighting climate change) and we look forward to his visit to the US in a few days when we’ll have an opportunity to discuss this further.”
(EW correspondent)
