Prime Minister Narendra Modi today left for his three-day US Visit. The Prime Minister will attend the Quad summit and will hold bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden.
US President Biden has opted for his hometown of Wilmington-around 170 kilometres from Washington- to host the farewell summit for Quad leaders.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will land in Philadelphia around 10 am local time (7.30 pm IST) and then head to US President Joe Biden’s hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, where the two leaders will hold bilateral discussions.
PM Modi is also likely to hold bilateral discussions with some other world leaders on the sidelines of the UN summit.
Here are the LIVE updates on Prime Minister Modi’s US visit:
Jake Sullivan, the National Security Adviser of the United States, has said India should step up and support the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, referring to the Russia-Ukraine war. His remark came ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden.
The ongoing war and PM Modi’s visit to Ukraine is expected come up n the Modi-Biden bilateral meeting at the US president’s Wilmington residence in Delaware on the margins of the Quad summit on Saturday, Mr Sullivan said.
“The United States has been clear about our view that Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine flouted every norm and principle of international law, (and) that countries like India should step up and support the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he added.
The Indian community from different cities of the US are awaiting the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi near Philadelphia International Airport and the Hotel Dupont in Delaware.
The PM will commence his three-day visit to the US by attending the Quad Summit that will be hosted by US President Joe Biden at his hometown Wilmington.
“I look forward to the deliberations at the Summit. I will also be having a bilateral meeting with President Biden. In New York, I will be attending the Summit of the Future. I will also be addressing a community programme in the city,” the PM had posted on X.
I will be on a visit to USA, where I will take part in various programmes. I will attend the Quad Summit being hosted by President Biden at his hometown Wilmington. I look forward to the deliberations at the Summit. I will also be having a bilateral meeting with President Biden….
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 21, 2024
The annual Quad summit at US President Joe Biden’s hometown Wilmington tonight is expected to finalise initiatives to boost cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to attend the major global strategic event.
Countering Congress’ criticism of PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, BJP MP Anurag Thakur said the PM is “representing India as the PM of 140 crore Indians”.
“Might be the Congress’ ecosystem has failed to understand that during his visit to the US, PM Modi is representing India as the PM of 140 crore Indians. If Congress’ ecosystem opposes PM Modi like this, the country will never accept them. Rahul Gandhi should be ashamed of shaking hands with those who oppose India and apologise to the country,” Mr Thakur told news agency ANI.
At the Quad Summit, The United States, India, Australia and Japan will use “some of the strongest language” on North Korea and the South China Sea, a senior US administration official said as per news agency IANS.
“I will say that the Quad agenda always focuses on a wide range of strategic profits in the Indo-Pacific that absolutely includes considerations with respect to the PRC, including on the economic front, in the maritime space and elsewhere,” the official said, referring to China by its official name, the People’s Republic of China.
“But it will also include a focus on the DPRK and several other key considerations as well. I will say that I think you can expect to see in the upcoming joint statement…some of the strongest language that the Quad has ever produced, particularly on the South China Sea and on North Korea,” the official was quoted as saying by IANS.
The Quad Summit on Saturday in Delaware is poised to announce the expansion of their joint maritime security operations in the Indian Ocean and closer coastguard integration throughout the Indo-Pacific.
Leaders of the United States, Australia, India and Japan are set to announce on Saturday the expansion of the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) initiative from Southeast Asia into the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), the White House said.
Thanking India’s leadership, the White House further said that this expansion will help monitor illegal fishing and other illegal activities in waters where China’s influence is growing. The development comes amid rising tensions in the East and South China seas in the face of an increasingly aggressive Chinese military.
A senior Biden administration official, while elaborating on the IPMDA initiative said, “In addition to the coverage, IPMDA is already providing to our partners in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands to help them monitor their water for illegal fishing and other illegal activities. It will also expand that coverage to include the Indian Ocean region, thanks to India’s leadership.”
The maritime initiative which seeks to keep a check on illegal activities on seas was first launched at the Quad Leaders Summit in Tokyo two years ago.