NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the US on Saturday evening for a three-day visit. Modi has a packed schedule in the US.
He will have a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden, attend the fourth Quad Leaders’ Summit in Biden’s home town, Delaware, engage in high-level meetings on the sidelines of the summit, and take part in discussions at the United Nations in New York.
Meanwhile, the US is also likely to rake up the alleged assassination attempt on Khalistani separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual US-Canada citizen.
On Thursday, senior White House and US intelligence officials met a group of Sikh leaders sympathetic to Pannun.
Held inside the White House, the meeting was attended by Pritpal Singh of the American Sikh Caucus Committee and representatives from the Sikh Coalition and Sikh American Legal Defence and Education Fund.
The US officials reportedly assured the Sikh delegates that they will not allow any transnational aggression on its soil.
Modi is to have a one-on-one with Biden before the Quad meet. According to sources, several key agreements are likely to be signed. Also on the cards is a multibillion-dollar deal to buy 31 predator drones from the US.
Meanwhile, the PM’s other engagements include joining an Indian diaspora event at Long Island and participating in a roundtable with the CEOs of US companies working on new technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and semiconductors.
Soon after landing in Philadelphia, Modi said his meeting with Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Japanese premier Fumio Kishida at the Quad Summit would contribute to the betterment of the world. “I am sure the discussions will contribute in making our planet better and address global challenges,” he said.
Quad is a diplomatic partnership between Australia, India, Japan, and the US to foster a stable Indo-Pacific.