New Delhi [India], September 20 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to the United States this week to attend the first in-person Quad Leaders Summit and address the UN general debate. He will also have a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden. This will be PM Modi’s second visit abroad since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. His first such visit was to Bangladesh earlier this year. During the significant visit to the US, PM Modi would on September 24 participate in the Leaders’ Summit of the Quadrilateral Framework in Washington along with his US, Japanese and Australian counterparts. The bilateral meeting with the US President is also scheduled for the day. This is PM Modi’s first visit to the US since Joe Biden became the President.
He will address the General Debate of the High-Level Segment of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 25 in New York. He will also have bilateral meetings with other world leaders.
India is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. The situation in Afghanistan, which plunged into crisis following the Taliban takeover last month, is expected to figure prominently during discussions between world leaders.
After assuming office as Prime Minister, PM Modi has travelled to the US every year except in 2018 and 2020. Last year, the world leaders had submitted pre-recorded video statements for the UNGA session as they could not attend it due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had addressed the UNGA in 2016, 2017 and 2018. During his visits to the US, the Prime Minister has met world leaders and interacted with leading investors and financial sector firms and addressed the UNGA. In 2014, during his first visit to the USA as Prime Minister, he attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York and held a bilateral summit with the then US President Barack Obama.
During the visit from September 26 to 30, he also met business leaders to invite them to participate more actively in India’s economic growth and transformation. The Prime Minister also addressed the Indian American Community at the Madison Square Garden in New York.
During his visit to the US in September 2015, the Prime Minister addressed the UN Sustainable Development Summit for formal adoption of the post-2015 new sustainable development agenda. He also participated in a summit hosted by then President Obama on peacekeeping. India hosted a summit of G-4 leaders in New York where the main agenda was UNSC reforms. The Prime Minister had a working dinner in which major Fortune-500 companies were present to deliberate on investment opportunities in India.
PM Modi visited the west coast on September 26, 27, 2015. It was the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister after almost 33 years to the west coast, considered the home of start-ups, innovation and technology.
He took part in Townhall Q&A at the Facebook headquarters along with its CEO Mark Zuckerberg. He also addressed a Renewable Energy Roundtable with USDOC and Stanford University.PM Modi interacted with the Indian community in San Jose on September 27.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington in April 2016 and interacted with several world leaders at the event. The Prime Minister visited Washington in June 2016 on a bilateral visit. He met then US President Barack Obama on June 7 and addressed the Joint Meeting of the US Congress the next day. During the visit, he also addressed the 40th AGM of the USIBC and meet US business leaders. He exchanged views with US think-tanks and attended a ceremony marking the return of Indian antiques. He laid wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He also laid a wreath at the Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial linked to the memory of Indian origin astronaut, Kalpana Chawla.
The Prime Minister also interacted with members of the House of Representatives and the Senate during the visit.
PM Modi met then US President Donald Trump during his visit to the US in June 2017 and the two leaders had an in-depth exchange of views on further consolidating the robust and wide-ranging partnership between India and the United States.
Apart from official meetings with Trump and his then cabinet colleagues, PM Modi met some prominent American CEOs. PM Modi last visited the US in 2019 from September 21 to 27. During the visit, he addressed the “Howdy Modi” event in Houston and was joined by Donald Trump. It was the maiden appearance of the US President in an Indian community event with PM Modi. The event, held at a sprawling football stadium, was attended by over 50,000 Indian Americans. In Houston, PM Modi also interacted with CEOs of leading energy companies in the US with the aim to enhance the India-US energy partnership.
The Prime Minister attended the High-Level Segment of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York and reiterated India’s commitment to reformed multilateralism, which is responsive, effective and inclusive. Through his participation in UN events, PM Modi showcased India’s success in realizing the Sustainable Development Goals. At the Climate Action Summit on September 23, he highlighted India’s robust action to address climate change in line with global goals and our international commitments.
At the UN event on Universal Health Coverage, he shared India’s achievements in providing healthcare for the needy through many initiatives, including the Ayushman Bharat programme. India also hosted at the UN an event to celebrate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. PM Modi addressed the opening plenary of the Bloomberg Global Business Forum in New York. During his visits to the US, the Prime Minister has sought to impart new energy in the bilateral relationship and present India as a vibrant land of opportunities, a reliable partner and a global leader. (ANI)
