PM Modi leaves for US to participate in Quad Summit

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, September 21, 2024: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday departed for a three-day visit to the United States, during which he will attend the Quad Leaders’ Summit, address the ’Summit of the Future’ at the United Nations General Assembly, and also interact with the Indian diaspora.

In a post on X, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, "PM @narendramodi emplanes for USA to participate in the 6th Quad Leaders’ Summit and to address the UN ’Summit of the Future’."

PM Modi will take part in the sixth Quad Leaders’ Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, which is being hosted by US President Joe Biden in his hometown on September 21.

Quad brings together four countries--India, Australia, Japan, and the United States, with a commitment to work as a force for global good and to support an open, free, and inclusive Indo-Pacific that is prosperous and resilient. India will be hosting the Quad Leaders’ Summit in 2025.

At the Quad Summit, the leaders will review the progress achieved by the Quad over the past year and set the agenda for the year ahead to assist the countries of the Indo-Pacific region in meeting their development goals and aspirations, the Ministry of External Affairs stated.

The first Quad Leaders Summit was held in virtual format in 2021. The second Quad Leaders’ Summit (first in-person) was held in Washington, DC, on September 24, 2021. The third Quad Leaders’ Summit was held virtually on March 3, 2022.

The fourth Quad Leaders’ Summit (second in-person) was hosted by Japan on May 24, 2022. The fifth Quad Leaders’ Summit (third in-person) was held in Hiroshima, Japan, on May 20, 2023.

During his visit to the US, PM Modi will address ’Summit of the Future’ at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 23. The theme of the summit is ’Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow’.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called the Summit a ’once in a generation UN Summit’. ’Summit of the Future’ is an important milestone in the history of the UN as it enters the 80th year of its establishment in 2025.

A large number of global leaders are expected to participate in the summit. Prime Minister Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders and discuss issues of mutual interest, on the sidelines of the summit.

The Prime Minister will address a gathering of the Indian community on September 22 in New York.

PM Modi would also be interacting with CEOs of leading US-based companies to foster greater collaborations between the two countries in the cutting-edge areas of AI, quantum computing, semiconductors, and biotechnology, according to MEA.

He is also expected to interact with thought leaders and other stakeholders active in the India-US bilateral landscape. The Prime Minister has addressed the UNGA for the High Level Week (HLW) four times in the past--in 2014, 2019, 2020 (virtually) and 2021.

India and United States enjoy a comprehensive global strategic partnership covering almost all areas of human endeavour, driven by shared democratic values, convergence of interests on a range of issues, and vibrant people-to-people contacts.
India has the largest number of military exercises with the US, which are growing in scale and complexity.

Important bilateral exercises include Yudh Abhyas (Army), Vajra Prahar (Special Forces), Malabar (Navy), Cope India (Air Force), and Tiger Triumph (tri-services). Red Flag, RIMPAC, CUTLASS Express, Sea Dragon, and Milan are some of the multilateral exercises in which the two countries participate.

The US is the also largest trading partner of India, with overall bilateral trade in goods and services of USD 190.1 billion for 2023, according to US Census data.

Foreign Secretary Misri said on Thursday that the Quad event will provide PM Modi with the opportunity to thank both US President Biden, and Japanese PM Kishida for their leadership.

The remarks by Mr Misri came during a briefing by the Ministry of External Affairs on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States for the upcoming Quad summit.

In a press briefing on Thursday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, "We are looking at a Quad joint statement, a Quad fact sheet, and the Cancer Moonshot event will have a separate fact sheet of its own. As you probably would have gathered by now, this is also going to be a kind of a farewell event in so far as the Quad is concerned for President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida of Japan. And therefore, the Quad event provides the Prime Minister with an opportunity to thank both leaders for their leadership in giving momentum and salience to the Quad partnership."

Mr Misri said that this will be an opportunity to have substantive engagement between PM Modi and Biden, where they will have the opportunity to review the comprehensive global strategic partnership between New Delhi and Washington. PM Modi is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of Japan and Australia.