Schedule for Prime Minister Modi’s US visit: Quad, UN summit, farewell to Biden, Russia-Ukraine conflict, joint event on the agenda

Just before the US elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the United States from September 21 to 23. This is Prime Minister Modi’s first visit in his third term and is also significant because this time, besides bilateral issues, QUAD and the concerns of the global South, Modi is also focused on the war in Europe, having recently visited both Russia and Ukraine.

This time, the Prime Minister’s visit will be short but packed with engagements, roundtable discussions and bilateral meetings and he will not travel to Washington DC either. Prime Minister Modi will also not address the high-level session of the United Nations General Assembly. Modi will first visit Wilmington in Delaware as US President Joe Biden will host him and other Quad leaders at his residence for the Quad Leaders’ Meeting. Prime Minister Modi and President Biden have had nine meetings since 2022 at multilateral events and visits, including a telephonic conversation and a virtual summit.

PM Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with all three leaders – President Biden, Prime Minister Kishida of Japan and Prime Minister Antony Albanese of Australia – on Sunday after the conclusion of the QUAD Summit. A special event is planned on the sidelines of the QUAD Summit – the Cancer Moonshot Event.

Prime Minister Modi will attend a joint event ‘Modi & US’ in Long Island at the Nassau Veterans Memorial at the Coliseum. Preparations for the event have been going on for about a month and the event is already overbooked as the capacity is 15,000 but more than 24,000 Indians have registered for it. Indian Americans from 42 states are expected to attend the event and the response from the tri-state area has been particularly strong.

Prime Minister Modi will also lead a roundtable discussion with CEOs of American companies working in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology and advanced technology.

On the third day, September 23, Prime Minister Modi will address world leaders at the Summit of the Future (SOTF) at the United Nations. On the sidelines of the conference, he is expected to hold bilateral talks with other heads of state travelling to New York as part of the UNGA.

At a press conference ahead of the Prime Minister’s US visit, Foreign Minister Vikram Misri said: “This visit brings together many aspects. It has a very important bilateral aspect, a very important plurilateral aspect and an equally important multilateral aspect.”

QUAD Summit as highlight

The QUAD summit will be the highlight of the visit as the summit had been delayed since January when India planned it around Republic Day. However, due to the election season in India and the United States, both countries could not work as planned. QUAD is also special this time because it will be the farewell summit of President Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as Kishida has announced his resignation.

By organizing the summit in Biden’s hometown, the United States is also sending a signal to demonstrate the close relations between the countries.

The Quad agenda includes health and safety, climate change, critical and emerging technologies, HADR infrastructure connectivity, maritime security, and counterterrorism. Leaders in Delaware will review progress made over the past year and set the agenda for next year.

This time, the Quad joint statement may strike a different tone, perhaps reflecting the views of all countries on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Prime Minister Modi is the only Quad leader to have visited both Russia and Ukraine.

QUAD experienced a natural evolution in 2021 and was promoted to the executive level, with its first meeting taking place in March 2021. The practical work of the Quad is driven by six executive-level working groups and other initiatives.

Bilateral meeting between Modi and Biden

Prime Minister Modi will also hold a bilateral meeting with President Biden. India and the US are expected to exchange some agreements, including agreements on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and an India-US agreement on a drug framework. External Affairs Minister Vikram Misri said, “Prime Minister Modi and President Biden will also have an opportunity to review the comprehensive global strategic partnership between India and the United States, which today covers almost every aspect of human endeavour through the over 50 commitments and bilateral dialogue mechanisms that we have between the two sides.”

Both leaders will review progress in areas of cooperation as India-US relations have also seen certain difficulties due to the alleged assassination plot against Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, which is still under investigation. India has also formed a committee to investigate the allegations. This visit could be helpful in ironing out the differences between the two countries.

India and the US cooperate in many areas, one of which is defense, which includes the procurement of 31 MQ-9B Predator drones, joint production of Stryker infantry fighting vehicles, and co-production of GE F414 engines in India.

The Ukraine issue is likely to be discussed between both sides.

Summit of the future

At the United Nations Future Summit, Prime Minister Modi will address world leaders and is likely to highlight the concerns of countries in the Global South, as India hosted a summit for the Global South in August. He may also speak on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“The summit is taking place at a time of conflict, tension and division in the world. There are obvious development deficits in the world as a whole and the global South is in danger of being left behind due to current developments,” said Misri.

On the sidelines of the summit, Prime Minister Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with other heads of state and government. As reported in Israel, Prime Minister Modi is likely to meet with Benjamin Netanyahu. Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Mohammad Yunus has also requested Prime Minister Modi to schedule a meeting, but there is no confirmation yet if this meeting will take place.

Meanwhile, suspense remains over whether Prime Minister Modi will meet former US President Donald Trump. Many familiar with the visit have said that if Modi meets Trump, he will also have to meet Democratic candidate Kamala Harris to balance things out and given Prime Minister Modi’s tight schedule for the short visit, that may not be possible. External Affairs Minister Vikram Misri said he could not comment on the meeting at this stage.