Modi, Biden hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of Quad summit in the US

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden will meet on the sidelines of the Quad summit in Delaware, Indian External Affairs Minister Vikram Misri confirmed at a press briefing on Thursday. The two leaders are expected to review the India-US bilateral partnership.

“This gives the Prime Minister an opportunity to thank President Biden for his pioneering role in strengthening India-US relations and for several new initiatives such as the Critical and Emerging Technologies Initiative that was taken during President Biden’s tenure in the US,” Misri added. Modi and Biden last met in person in July this year, during a brief interaction on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy. They spoke over the phone in August after Modi visited Ukraine and Poland. This is likely to be Modi’s last official meeting with Biden, who has announced that he will not seek re-election.

Agreements on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and the Indo-US framework on drugs will also be negotiated during Modi’s visit to the US. Modi will also meet Japanese Prime Minister Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during his stay in the US.

Misri, however, did not confirm that Prime Minister Modi would meet former President Donald Trump. Earlier this week, at a campaign event, Trump had said he would meet Modi during the latter’s visit to the US. Misri said a number of meetings were planned, but declined to comment on any specific engagement.

During his visit, Modi is also expected to address the UN Future Summit and meet other world leaders and prominent CEOs, including at a panel discussion on technology.