US President Joe Biden is unlikely to attend India's Republic Day celebration on January 26 next year as the chief guest. This information surfaced as sources indicated that the Quad summit in India is now scheduled to take place in the later part of 2024. "The Quad Summit in India is proposed to be held later in 2024. We are looking for revised dates as the dates currently under consideration do not work with all the Quad partners," sources revealed on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had extended an invitation to President Biden for the Republic Day celebrations, aligning with plans to host the Quad leaders’ summit in January next year. Initially set for January 27, right after Republic Day, the Quad summit in India has now been postponed to a later part in 2024.
In September, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited President Biden to be the Chief Guest for the Republic Day celebrations on January 26 next year. However, India has not officially commented on this invitation.
Historically, the Quad summit has experienced rescheduling. Earlier this year in May, the Quad summit in Sydney was rescheduled to take place in Hiroshima after the US President canceled his trip to Sydney. The Hiroshima summit occurred on the sidelines of the G7 summit. In the upcoming summit hosted by India, Quad leaders will discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific to address China's growing assertiveness in the region.
This year has seen numerous visits by US officials to India. Presently, FBI Director Christopher Wray is on a trip to New Delhi, coinciding with the backdrop of the US's allegations about an Indian link to a foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist on American soil.