PM Modi To Attend First In-Person Quad Summit In US, Will Address UNGA On Sept 25

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 25.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend first-ever in-person Quad Summit on Sept 24 Which is to be hosted by US President Joe Biden

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the first-ever in-person Quad summit which is to be hosted by US President Joe Biden on September 24. Besides, PM Modi will also address the UN General Assembly in New York on September 25. the will be Modi's first visit to the United States since President Joe Biden assumed office early this year.

 The two have met virtually on at least three occasions – the Quad summit in March, the climate change summit in April, and the G-7 summit in June this year.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement “They will also exchange views on contemporary global issues such as critical and emerging technologies, connectivity and infrastructure, cyber security, maritime security, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, climate change and education," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

After the Quad summit, the MEA added, PM Modi is scheduled to address the General Debate of the High-Level Segment of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 25 in New York. The theme for this year’s General Debate is ‘Building Resilience through hope to recover from Covid-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalise the United Nations’, the statement read.

According to the announcement by the White House announcement, Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will be present at the Summit. The four leaders will discuss deepening their ties and advancing practical cooperation on areas like combatting COVID-19, addressing the climate crisis and promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific, the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.

In March, President Biden hosted the first-ever summit of the Quad leaders in the virtual format that vowed to strive for an Indo-Pacific region that is free, open, inclusive, anchored by democratic values, and unconstrained by coercion, sending a subtle message to China.

The Biden-Harris administration has made elevating the Quad a priority, as seen through the first-ever Quad Leaders-level engagement in March, which was virtual, and now this Summit, which will be in-person, she said.

The Quad summit will take place amidst China's aggressive behaviour in the resource-rich South China Sea.

Beijing claims almost all of the 1.3 million square mile South China Sea as its sovereign territory. China has been building military bases on artificial islands in the region also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

In November 2017, India, Japan, the US and Australia gave shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the Quad to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence.