Modi expected to visit US this month, meet Joe Biden

Narendra Modi with US President Joe Biden. (File photo)

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit the United States at the end of September, reports Indian Express.

This will be his first visit to the United States since President Joe Biden assumed office early this year.

If the schedule works out as per ongoing discussions, the window of opportunity that is being explored is September 22-27, said sources.

During his visit, Prime Minister Modi is expected to travel to Washington and New York.

In Washington, PM Modi is likely to hold a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden. This would be PM Modi’s first in-person meeting with Biden who took assumed office earlier this year.

PM Modi and Biden have met virtually on at least three occasions – the Quad summit in March, the climate change summit in April, and the G-7 summit in June this year.

With the situation in Afghanistan unfolding rapidly, Modi’s visit is significant. Besides meeting Biden, he is expected to have important meetings with the top echelons of the US administration.

Modi last visited the US in September 2019, when then US President Donald Trump had addressed the Howdy Modi event — the Prime Minister’s “abki baar Trump sarkar” line had not gone down well with the Democratic party’s establishment.

The Indian PM will also visit New York for the 76th session of the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Though no official date for PM Modi’s visit has been announced, the first day of the high-level general debate is scheduled for 21 September.