Modi, Joe Biden to hold bilateral on sidelines of Quad meet tomorrow

Modi is also expected to apprise Biden of his recent talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on finding a peaceful solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Besides Biden, Modi is also set to hold separate bilateral talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

“This is also going to be a kind of a farewell event insofar as the Quad is concerned for President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida,” Misri said. The Quad event provides Modi with an opportunity to thank both leaders for their leadership in giving momentum and salience to the Quad partnership, he added.

To a question on whether Modi will meet former US President Donald Trump during his US visit, Misri did not give a direct reply. “We are trying to schedule many meetings with the PM. I will not be able to tell you about any specific meeting — whether the meeting has been finalised or not,” he said.

“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,” he added.

Two days ago, Trump, the Republican nominee in the US presidential race, had said he would meet Modi during his visit.

The Quad summit will have a “very full and substantive” agenda and a leaders’ declaration will be unveiled at the end of the deliberations, Misri said.

“The Quad’s constructive agenda continues to develop. We continue to work on development priorities in the Indo-Pacific in implementing sustainable development goals, delivering public goods, and with a strong focus on peace, prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.

“Our agenda covers health, security, climate change, critical and emerging technologies, connectivity and maritime security and counter-terrorism,” Misri said. “The upcoming visit offers the Quad leaders the opportunity to review the progress achieved in the last one year and set the agenda for the next year,” he said.

The Quad leaders will also unveil an initiative to prevent, detect, treat and alleviate the impact of cancer on patients and their families. The “Cancer Moonshot” event will take place on the sidelines of the Quad summit, he said.

“Through this milestone initiative, the Quad aims to implement innovative strategies to prevent, detect, treat and alleviate the impact of cancer on patients and their families, and to begin with, we intend to collaborate in reducing the burden of cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific region,” Misri said.

The leaders are also expected to deliberate on pressing global challenges, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict, escalating tensions in West Asia and the overall situation in the Indo-Pacific.

It was India’s turn to host the Quad summit this year, but, following a request from Washington, India agreed to host the summit next year.

During his three-day visit to the US, Modi will also address an Indian community event at Long Island, New York, on September 22, and the ‘Summit of the Future’ at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 23.