From Ukraine, Gaza To Space Collaboration: Know What’s PM’s Agenda For Ongoing US Visit

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a three-day visit to the United States to attend the meeting of the Quad, a grouping of India, the US, Australia and Japan. The meeting comes at a time when there is an escalation between Israel and Hezbollah and the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars are underway.

In such a scenario, the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, and reform of global governance structures will be part of Modi’s top agendas, reported the Hindustan Times. Here’s a look at the PM’s itinerary and agenda:

1) Focus on peace: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive at Philadelphia around 10 am local time (7.30 pm IST). He will head to US President Joe Biden’s hometown of Wilmington, Delaware. The two leaders will hold bilateral discussions there. Apart from the relationship between the two countries, the leaders are likely to discuss on a possible peace process.

2) Axiom-4 mission: It is likely that an announcement is made regarding Indo-US space collaboration, under which Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will travel to the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 mission.

3) Deal about drones: The leaders may discuss a multi-billion dollar in which India has plans to acquire 31 predator drones from the US.

4) Quad summit & focus on China: PM Modi will attend the summit with Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. White House Spokesperson John Kirby reportedly said China would be the top agenda of the meet. “In fact, it would be irresponsible if they didn’t talk about the challenges that still exist in the region caused by aggressive People’s Republic of China military action… for instance, unfair trade practices, tensions over the Taiwan Strait… I have no doubt that that all those issues will come up,” he said, as quoted by the NDTV.

5) Meet with Indian diaspora & industry meet: Modi will address a gathering of the Indian community in New York on the second day. He is also likely to interact with CEOs of leading companies to discuss collaborations in artificial intelligence, quantum computing biotechnology and semiconductors.

6) At the United Nations: On the third day, he 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.’

7) Meeting with other leaders: PM Modi is also likely to hold bilateral talks with some other world leaders on the sidelines of the UN event.

8) Meeting with Trump: Modi is visiting the country ahead of the Presidential polls there, which is a close contest between Donald Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris. Trump had said he would be meeting Modi. The Indian Foreign Ministry has not yet confirmed the meeting.

What did Modi say before departing for US?
In his departure statement, the PM had stated that he was looking forward to join his colleagues President Biden, Prime Minister Albanese and Prime Minister Kishida for the Quad Summit. “The forum has emerged as a key group of like-minded countries to work for peace, progress and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region,” he stated.
Modi had also mentioned that his talks with Biden would allow the two leaders to identify new pathways to further deepen the India-US partnership.