Ahead of leaving for the US to participate in Quad Leaders' Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's on Wednesday said his visit will be an occasion to strengthen the strategic partnership with the United States, Japan and Australia.
"I will be visiting the USA from September 22 to September 25, 2021, at the invitation of His Excellency President Joe Biden of the United States of America. During my visit, I will review the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with President Biden and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest," Prime Minister said in his Departure Statement ahead of his visit to the US.
"I am also looking forward to meeting Vice President Kamala Harris to explore opportunities for cooperation between our two nations particularly in the area of science and technology," he added.
Prime Minister Modi also said he will participate in the first in-person Quad Leaders' Summit along with President Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
"I will also meet Prime Minister Morrison of Australia and Prime Minister Suga of Japan to take stock of the strong bilateral relations with their respective countries and continue our useful exchanges on regional and global issues," said the PM.
The Prime Minister will conclude his visit with an Address at the United Nations General Assembly focusing on the pressing global challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to combat terrorism, climate change and other important issues.
PM Modi said the summit provides an opportunity to take stock of the outcomes of the virtual summit in March this year and identify priorities for future engagements based on the shared vision for the Indo-Pacific region.
"My visit to the US would be an occasion to strengthen the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with the USA, consolidate relations with our strategic partners - Japan and Australia - and to take forward our collaboration on important global issues," he emphasised.
Prime Minister Modi will be leaving for his three-day visit to the US on Wednesday. The main elements of his visit are bilateral meetings with the US leadership, participation in the Quad Leaders' Summit, address at the UN General Assembly and business interactions.
PM Modi will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
Quad is a partnership among four like-minded countries (India, US, Japan and Australia), in the pursuit of common interests in striving for a free open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.
Notably, this will be the Prime Minister's first visit abroad, beyond the neighbourhood, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. He had made a brief visit to Bangladesh in March this year.
( With inputs from ANI )
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