Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Thursday emphasized the importance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to the United States for the Quad Summit, highlighting its bilateral, plurilateral, and multilateral significance.
The Quad group comprises India, the United States, Japan and Australia.
Misri outlined the summit’s agenda, which includes advancing development in the Indo-Pacific region and implementing Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, a Cancer Moonshot initiative is planned on the sidelines to address cancer prevention and treatment
Speaking at a Ministry of External Affairs briefing, Misri outlined the major events of the visit. “PM Modi will be visiting the US from September 21-23. This visit combines very important aspects. It has very important bilateral aspects to it, very important plurilateral aspects to it and equally important multilateral aspects to it. There will be interaction with a variety of foreign partners at the level of the Prime Minister. There will be interaction with the large Indian diaspora in the US. And there will be engagement with a host of business and industry leaders, amongst others,” Misri said.
The Quad Summit, scheduled for September 21 in Wilmington, Delaware, the hometown of President Joe Biden, will be a central focus.
This marks the fourth Quad Leaders’ Summit. While India was originally scheduled to host this year’s summit, it agreed to host the next one in 2025 following a request from the US.
At the summit, the leaders will review progress from the past year and set the agenda for the year ahead to support the Indo-Pacific region’s development.
Misri also highlighted the Cancer Moonshot initiative, which aims to implement “innovative strategies to prevent, detect, treat, and alleviate the impact of cancer on patients and their families”, with a focus on reducing cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific.
The visit will include a bilateral meeting with President Biden. “At the bilateral meeting with President Joe Biden, there will be an opportunity for both sides to exchange a few agreements — Indo-Pacific economy related framework agreements, and India-US drug framework,” Misri said.
PM Modi will also engage with tech CEOs during a roundtable on the tech investment landscape, reflecting India’s growing importance in the global technology sector.
On September 23, PM Modi will address the ‘Summit of the Future’ at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, focusing on multilateral solutions for global challenges. The summit, themed “Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow,” will be a key platform for addressing issues such as health security, climate change, emerging technologies, and counter-terrorism.
Misri also mentioned the potential for additional bilateral meetings during the visit, though specific meetings, including one with former President Donald Trump, are yet to be confirmed.
(With ANI input)