Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Philadelphia, his first stop on the three-day visit of the United States, to attend the sixth Quad Leaders’ Summit hosted by the US President Joe Biden in his hometown of Wilmington in Delaware, later on September 21.
Irrespective of the long flight, PM Modi and the travelling Indian delegation will have no time to get over the jetlag considering the busy schedule lined up for the day, immediately after their arrival.
PM Modi will be holding bilateral discussions with President Biden and other leaders of the Quad grouping, including Australian PM Anthony Albanese and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan.
Some key Indo-Pacific Economic Framework-related agreements and an India-US Drug Framework related MoU are expected to be signed following PM Modi’s meeting with Biden. A bilateral fact sheet will also be released after the bilateral discussions between the two leaders.
The all-important sixth Quad Leaders’ Summit – fourth in-person – is scheduled at around 4 PM EST (around 1.30 AM, India time on Sunday) at Archmere Academy, where Biden attended High school.
After the plenary session, the Quad leaders will gather together for the unveiling of Cancer Moonshot event, a signature initiative that aims at implementing innovative strategies to prevent, detect, treat, and alleviate the impact of cancer on patients and their families.
It is for the first time that Biden will also be hosting foreign leaders in Wilmington as President – including an “intimate leaders’ dinner” at his private home following the Moonshot event – which the White House believes is “a reflection of his deep personal relationships with each of the Quad Leaders”, and the importance of the Quad to all countries.
“I look forward to joining my colleagues President Biden, Prime Minister Albanese and Prime Minister Kishida for the Quad Summit. The forum has emerged as a key group of like-minded countries to work for peace, progress and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. My meeting with President Biden will allow us to review and identify new pathways to further deepen India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership for the benefit of our people and the global good,” said PM Modi before his departure.
Quad – a diplomatic partnership between India, the United States, Australia and Japan – remains committed to supporting an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient.
The Quad countries account for 1.9 billion combined population, 44 per cent of two-way merchandise trade across the Indo-Pacific region, US $34.8 trillion combined GDP and hold 30 per cent of Global Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) stock.
