All eyes on the ‘Modi & US’ diaspora event at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Sunday.
New Delhi: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins his three-day US visit starting September 21, new initiatives by the Quad to ensure peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific, the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, and reform of global governance structures will be part of his agenda. No meeting has been fixed with former US President Donald Trump so far, the government clarified, even as the Republican Presidential nominee told a campaign rally he will meet the Indian Prime Minister next week.
Briefing the media on PM Modi’s upcoming visit to the United States from September 21-23, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said he would hold separate meetings with US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and Australian PM Anthony Albanese in Wilmington, where he will arrive for the Quad summit, and that several bilateral meetings had been planned during his visit to New York.
Misri said the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza are expected to figure at both the Quad Summit and bilateral meetings in New York. After the Quad meeting, PM Modi will travel to New York to participate in an interaction with the Indian community at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Long Island, and the Summit of the Future at the UN General Assembly the following day.
There will also be bilateral meetings with world leaders on the margins of the General Assembly and a roundtable with CEOs of American firms working on cutting-edge technologies such as AI, quantum computing, and semiconductors.
The Quad Summit will have a substantive and constructive agenda, including work by the partners on development priorities of the Indo-Pacific, implementing the sustainable development goals (SDGs), and delivering public goods. There will be a “strong focus on peace, progress, and stability in the Indo-Pacific”, and the leaders will discuss health security, climate change, emerging technologies, infrastructure, connectivity, maritime security, counterterrorism, and humanitarian assistance, Misri said.
At the bilateral meeting between Modi and Biden, the two sides will unveil agreements on India joining two of the four pillars of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on an India-US drug framework. India had earlier signed on for the supply chains pillar of IPEF and it will now become part of the pillars of a clean economy and fair economy. India has so far stayed away from the trade pillar of IPEF, which was launched by the US and partners in the Indo-Pacific region in 2022.
Meanwhile “Modi & US” promises to be a significant gathering, celebrating the interconnected diversity of the Indian American community. In addition to remarks by Prime Minister Modi, the event will showcase cultural performances and appearances by prominent Indian Americans in business, science, entertainment, and arts. The Coliseum has a capacity of about 15,000. Indian Americans from at least 42 states are expected to attend the mega event.
At the Summit of the Future in New York, which is aimed at bringing together world leaders to enhance multilateral cooperation to tackle the most pressing global challenges, Modi will outline India’s priorities such as inclusive, equitable, and sustainable development, South-South cooperation, and the concerns of the Global South.
