PM Modi lands in Washington at Biden’s invitation

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The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew to the US at President Biden’s invitation. He was called over to participate in the first in-person summit of Quad leaders. News has come in from the NDTV that he has already arrived in Washington on Thursday, 23rd September. The Prime Minister, in spite of having a tight schedule, will also address the UN General Assembly.

This is the seventh time that the Prime Minister is visiting the US ever since he assumed power in 2014. He said that the visit was an occasion to strengthen India’s strategic partnership with the United States. He added that in his meeting with President Biden, he would review the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and also exchange views on global and regional issues of mutual interest. It might also help consolidate ties with Australia and Japan.

This was Modi’s three-day visit to the US. He left on Wednesday. He arrived at the Joint Base Andrews in Washington DC. There, a crowd of Indian Americans who were chanting his name and waving the Indian flag amid light showers welcomed him. It had rained heavily in the morning. But that did not deter these significant number of Indian Americans from gathering at the Andrew Joint Airforce Base to welcome the Prime Minister.

Some senior officials of the Biden Administration received Modi at the airport. India’s Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sadhu was also present there. Modi tweeted, “Grateful to then Indian community in Washington DC for the warm welcome. Our diaspora is our strength. It is commendable how the Indian diaspora has distinguished itself across the world.

On the first Quad Summit in person, Modi said his meeting with President Biden and Prime Ministers of Japan and Australia would provide him an opportunity to take stock of the outcomes of a virtual summit in March. It would also help to identify priorities for future engagements based on their shared vision for the Indo-Pacific region. There will be specific topics of discussion between PM Modi and President Biden in Washington on 24th September. Some of the topics are the Afghan situation and its growing implications, ways to stem radicalism and cross-border terrorism, China’s growing assertiveness, and further expansion of the India-US global partnership.

The Prime Minister will be accompanied by a high-level delegation. It will include External Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. Modi might also meet Vice President Kamala Harris who traces her roots back to India. The main point is that it has been kept on schedule. They had spoken on the telephone in June 2021. Modi said he was looking forward to talking with her regarding opportunities for cooperation, particularly in the field of science and technology.

He is also scheduled to meet the top executives of companies like Adobe, Qualcomm, General Atomics, and First Solar. Modi will also travel to New York on 24th September. He will address the UN General Assembly on the next day. He will be giving his speech on global challenges which will include the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to combat terrorism, and many more.

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