Prime Minister Narendra Modi left here early Saturday morning on a three-day visit to the United States, saying he looks forward to participating in the Quad Summit being hosted by President Joe Biden in his hometown Wilmington and addressing ‘The Summit of the Future’ at the UN General Assembly in New York.

In a statement here before his departure, he said he is keen to join ”my colleagues” President Biden, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan for the Quad Summit. The forum, he noted, has emerged as a key group of like-minded countries to work for peace, progress, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

The PM said his meeting with President Biden will allow the two leaders to review and identify new pathways to further deepen India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership for the benefit of their people and the global good.

”I am eagerly looking forward to engaging with the Indian diaspora and important American business leaders, who are the key stakeholders and provide vibrancy to the unique partnership between the largest and the oldest democracies of the world,” Modi said.

He said,’ The Summit of the Future’ is an opportunity for the global community to chart the road ahead for the betterment of humanity. ”I will share views of the one-sixth of humanity as their stakes in a peaceful and secure future are among the highest in the world,” he added.

The four-nation Quad Summit will take place late tonight. On the margins of the summit, Mr Modi will hold bilateral meetings with President Biden and the PMs of Australia and Japan.

Mr Modi will also hold wide-ranging talks with President Biden on bilateral issues as well as global developments, including the conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia.

According to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, the meeting between the two leaders gives the PM an opportunity to thank President Biden for his pioneering role in strengthening the India-US relationship and for several new initiatives such as the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies.

This is likely to be Mr Modi’s final official meeting with Mr Biden, who has announced that he won’t be running for re-election.

Agreements related to the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and the India-US Drug Framework will also be exchanged between the two countries during Mr Modi’s visit.
Asked if a meeting between the PM and former US President Donald Trump was also scheduled, Mr Misri said, “There are many meetings which we are trying to fix. Right now, I will not be able to tell you about any specific meeting. We are looking from all angles as to how much time we have and with whom we can hold meetings. We will keep updating you about the meetings.” Mr Trump, who is in the running for the US presidency as the Republican Party candidate, earlier announced that he would be meeting Mr Modi during the latter’s visit to America.

Mr Misri said the PM’s visit combines very important bilateral and multilateral aspects. There will be interactions with a variety of foreign partners at the level of the Prime Minister. Besides interaction with the large Indian diaspora in the US, there will be engagement with a host of business and industry leaders, amongst others, he added.