NEW DELHI: Afghanistan, Quad and bilateral engagements will dominate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s agenda during his four-day trip to the US starting Wednesday. Modi is scheduled to meet US President Joe Biden on Friday in the White House.
The two leaders will discuss the strategy to deal with radicalisation and terrorism, said foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who will be part of the delegation along with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Shringla said Modi will meet US Vice-President Kamala Harris as well. The Indian PM is also set to hold bilateral talks with his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison and Japanese premier Yoshihide Suga.
Apart from his bilateral engagements, Modi will participate in the first in-person Quad leaders' summit on Friday where the leaders of the member countries - the US, Australia, Japan and India - will follow up on pressing issues such as the pandemic and COVID-19 vaccines, apart from other global and regional matters.
The foreign secretary said the Quad leaders will also exchange their views on emerging technologies, connectivity and infrastructure, cyber security, maritime security, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, climate change and education, among others.
"The summit is expected to provide a valuable opportunity for dialogue and interactions among the leaders, anchored in their shared vision of ensuring a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region," Shringla said.
Modi will travel to New York on September 25 to address the United Nations General Assembly. He will also meet top executives of major American firms, including Apple’s Tim Cook. Meanwhile, Modi had a telephonic conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday on Afghanistan. The tele-con comes amid France’s strong criticism of the newly formed Australia-UK-US (AUKUS) alliance.