- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Philadelphia at around 10 am local time (7.30 pm IST) and will then travel to Wilmington, Delaware, the hometown of US President Joe Biden, where the two leaders will hold bilateral talks. Apart from relations between the two countries, PM Modi’s visit to Russia and Ukraine and the possible peace process are also likely to be discussed.
- There may be an announcement about the India-US space cooperation, under which Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will travel to the International Space Station under the Axiom-4 mission. There will also be discussions on the multi-billion dollar deal in which India plans to acquire 31 Predator drones from the US, but it is not clear if it will be announced during the Prime Minister’s visit.
- After the bilateral talks, Prime Minister Modi will attend the Quad summit along with Mr Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. White House spokesperson John Kirby has said that China will be high on the agenda. “Indeed, it would be irresponsible if they didn’t talk about the challenges that still exist because of the People’s Republic of China’s aggressive military actions in the region… for example, unfair trade practices, tensions over the Taiwan Strait… I have no doubt that all of these issues will come up,” he said.
- On the second day of his visit, Prime Minister Modi will address the Indian community in New York and interact with CEOs of leading companies. Cooperation in cutting-edge areas of artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology and semiconductors will be discussed.
- On the third day, 23 September, the Prime Minister will address the ‘Summit of the Future’ at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The theme of the summit is ‘Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow’ and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called it a ‘once in a generation UN Summit’.
- Prime Minister Modi is also likely to hold bilateral discussions with some other world leaders during the UN summit.
- Former US President Donald Trump, who is locked in a close contest with Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the presidential election in November, has said that he will meet Prime Minister Modi, whom he described as a “wonderful person”. However, the Ministry of External Affairs has not confirmed whether the meeting will take place or not.
- In his departure statement, PM Modi said, “I look forward to joining my colleagues President Biden, Prime Minister Albanese, and Prime Minister Kishida for the Quad Summit. This forum has emerged as a leading grouping of like-minded countries working for peace, progress, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.”
- The Prime Minister said that his bilateral talks with President Biden will give the two leaders an opportunity to explore new avenues to further deepen the India-US partnership. Emphasising the importance of the UN Summit, he said, “The Summit of the Future is an opportunity for the global community to chart the way forward for the betterment of humanity. I will share the views of one-sixth of humanity as they have the highest stake in the world in a peaceful and secure future.”
- The Prime Minister also said that he looks forward to interacting with the Indian community in the US, as well as key American business leaders who are “key stakeholders and give vitality to the unique partnership between the world’s largest and oldest democracies.”