Afghan scenario to spice up Modi-Biden September 23 bilateral meet

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to embark later this month on his maiden visit to USA since the Biden administration came to power and is likely to discuss bilateral ties, the security situation in Afghanistan, counter-terrorism and the Indo-Pacific region with the US President during his visit to Washington DC on September 23.

This is expected to be followed by the first ever physical summit of Quad on September 24 also in DC, and Modi’s address at the UN General Assembly in New York on September 25, ET has learnt. The PM’s UNGA address will be significant coinciding with India’s membership of the UN Security Council as the non-permanent member.

The first ever physical Quad Summit is expected to take forward outcomes of the Quad summit that was held virtually in March and focus on measures for a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.

Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla visited New York and DC last week to prepare for this big visit. Afghanistan dominated the agenda of his meetings both in New York and DC. Issues concerning Indo-Pacific region was also on the table.

He told reporters in Washington on Friday that India and the United States are closely watching Pakistan’s actions in Afghanistan. “Obviously, like us, they’re also watching carefully, and we have to watch Pakistan’s actions with a fine-tooth comb,” he told a group of Indian reporters at the end of his three-day official visit to Washington DC adding that the US will have a wait-and-watch policy with regard to how the situation evolves in Afghanistan.

India also has a similar policy, according to Shringla. Responding to a question, the foreign secretary said the Americans have always said the Taliban has committed to them that they will not allow Afghan territory to be used again in any manner that is detrimental to any country outside Afghanistan.

During the visit both sides agreed to coordinate on shared priorities ahead of the India-US Ministerial 2+2 dialogue likely to be held in November. Shringla also interacted with strategic experts from prominent US think tanks on regional and global issues and different facets of the India-US strategic partnership.

He also interacted with leading US companies under the aegis of the US-India Business Council (USIBC) on India’s economic recovery and steps taken by the government to facilitate ease of doing business and FDI across sectors. (The Economic Times)