Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be reviewing the “Global Strategic Partnership” between New Delhi and Washington in the next four days as he will be meeting US President Joe Biden physically for the first time since the Democrats came to power in November 2020.
Modi has boarded the plane to the US and he will be in the country between Sept 22 and 25.
He said before boarding the plane in a statement, “During my visit, I will review the India-U.S. Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with President Biden and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. I am also looking forward to meeting Vice President Kamala Harris to explore opportunities for cooperation between our two nations particularly in the area of science and technology.”
The Prime Minister will participate in the Quad Leaders’ Summit along with Biden, his Australian and Japanese counterparts Scott Morrison and Yoshihide Suga respectively.
Modi said, “The Summit provides an opportunity to take stock of the outcomes of our Virtual Summit in March this year and identify priorities for future engagements based on our shared vision for the Indo-Pacific region.
“I will also meet Prime Minister Morrison of Australia and Prime Minister Suga of Japan to take stock of the strong bilateral relations with their respective countries and continue our useful exchanges on regional and global issues.”
The Prime Minister will conclude his trip with an address at the United Nations General Assembly, focussing on COVID-19, terrorism, climate change et al.
In a move with diplomatic significance, India Tuesday announced the resumption of export and donations of excess anti-COVID-19 vaccines from next month.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also thanked Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya for the move.
Modi is also undertaking the visit for the first time since the invasion of Afghanistan by insurgent group Taliban following the withdrawal of troops by the Biden administration.
