Modi-Biden Meet: Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with outgoing US President Joe Biden Saturday at his residence in Greenville, Delaware. In what was to be the last bilateral meeting between them, both leaders focussed their talks on the recent initiative taken by New Delhi to play the role of a so-called interlocutor in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the growth threats from China.
ABP Live has also learnt that during the 1.5 hours meeting, both leaders also discussed the issue of an alleged plot to kill US-Canada citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Khalistani separatist who heads the pro-Khalistan outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). Pannun is a designated terrorist in India.
President Biden, who will soon be exiting The White House as he has quit the Presidential race, said in a tweet after the meeting got over, “The United States' partnership with India is stronger, closer, and more dynamic than any time in history. Prime Minister Modi, each time we sit down, I'm struck by our ability to find new areas of cooperation. Today was no different.”
“President Biden commended Prime Minister Modi for his historic visits to Poland and Ukraine, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in decades, and for his message of peace and ongoing humanitarian support for Ukraine, including its energy sector, and on the importance of international law, including the UN charter,” said a readout by the White House.
India will also be assuming co-lead in 2025 of the Combined Task Force 150 to work with Combined Maritime Forces to secure sea lanes in the Arabian Sea, in an effort to protect commerce passing through the critical maritime routes in the Middle East.
Biden reiterated US’ support for a permanent membership for India in a reformed U.N. Security Council.
Biden, Modi Discuss ‘Next Generation Defense Partnership’
Both leaders also discussed defence and security cooperation even as Washington is pushing New Delhi to give its green signal to some of the big-ticket deals owing to purchase of 31 MQ-9B drones (16 Sky Guardian and 15 Sea Guardian) for all the three armed forces of India and also GE-F414 fighter jet engines deal.
“The Leaders commended the progress that has made the U.S.-India Major Defense Partnership a pillar of global security and peace, highlighting the benefits of increased operational coordination, information-sharing, and defense industrial innovation,” the White House said.
During the bilateral meeting, both sides asserted that the comprehensive global strategic partnership between the US and India “covers all areas of human endeavor, driven by shared democratic values, convergence of interests and vibrant people-to-people ties.”
“The two leaders discussed ways to further enhance bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest and exchanged views on global and regional issues including the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. They expressed confidence in the strength and continuing resilience of the relationship and their belief in its significance for all areas of human endeavor between the two countries,” said a press release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.
Before meeting Modi, Biden also met the Prime Ministers of Australia and Japan separately.
This was Biden’s last bilateral meetings before he heads out of the White House as he is not running for Presidency at the upcoming US Presidential polls and have nominated Vice President Kamala Harris for the role.
Khalistan Issue May Upset India-US Ties
Just hours before the meeting between Biden and Modi was to take place, a little over 100 miles away at The White House in Washington DC, the National Security Council held a closed-door meeting with the representatives of Sikh Coalition and Sikh American Legal Defence and Education Fund (SALDEF).
The discussions were held as part of the US government’s ongoing investigations and dialogue with India on the alleged bid to assassinate Pannun under the guidance of India’s external spy agency R&AW.
“We continue to push the U.S. government to not only keep developing its strong array of mitigation resources against transnational repression (including Punjabi-language content and training for law enforcement on how to respond to such incidents) but also to urge real accountability for the Government of India's efforts to infringe on the civil rights of and kill U.S.-based Sikhs,” the Sikh Coalition said in a statement.
It also added, “We look forward to continuing these conversations, and urge President Biden to keep raising this issue with Prime Minister Modi.”
This comes after the US District Court for Southern District of New York named the Government of India, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, former R&AW chief Samant Goel, in the summons.
Rejecting the move taken by the US District Court, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri earlier this week called the move, “unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations.”
Summons have also been issued in the name of Nikhil Gupta and Vikram Yadav — the key accused in the alleged murder plot.
Gupta, 52, was extradited from the Czech Republic to the US in June in connection with the case. He was apprehended in the Czech Republic in 2023 at the request of the US government.
US federal prosecutors allege that Gupta, at the behest of an “Indian government employee”, hired a hitman to kill Pannun, for which he made an advance payment of $15,000. But Gupta has denied the charges through his attorney, maintaining that he was being unfairly charged.