New Delhi, September 14: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to the United States, to participate in the first in-person summit of the Quad leaders in Washington on 24 September, to be hosted by US President Joe Biden. This would be the first in-person Quad meet. Earlier, the Quad leaders held a virtual meeting in March.
The Ministry of External Affairs announced the Prime Minister's visit after the White House announced that President Joseph R. Biden, Jr is going to host the first-ever Quad Leaders summit at White House on Sep 24.
White House press released further said that President Biden is looking forward to welcoming to the White House Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan.
As per the White House statement, the four leaders would discuss deepening their ties and advancing practical cooperation on areas like combatting Covid-19 and promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific. Recent developments in Afghanistan are also expected to figure prominently in the deliberations.
Following the announcement, MEA also released the statement and said that PM Modi will meet Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan, and President Joe Biden of the USA for the summit in Washington on September 24.
"Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi would be participating, along with Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan and President Joseph R. Biden of USA, in the Leaders’ Summit of the Quadrilateral Framework in Washington D.C, USA, on 24 September 2021," MEA said in a statement.
"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," it added. Moreover, Modi is also expected to hold separate bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Afghan crisis is likely to figure in the meetings.
PM Modi to address the 76th UNGA Session
According to the MEA, after the Quad meeting, PM Modi will then address the General Debate of the High-Level Segment of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 25 September 2021 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.
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