PM Modi likely to visit US this month, meet President Joe Biden: Report

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit the United States at the end of September, according to a report by Hindustan Times’ sister website Livehindustan. As per the report, PM Modi will visit Washington where he is likely to hold a bilateral meeting with President Joe Biden.

He 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 September 21.

This will be PM Modi’s first official visit to the US and a first in-person meeting with Biden, since the latter took over the presidency in January this year.

According to a report by news agency ANI, the preparations for the visit are already underway. PM Modi last visited the US in 2019 during Donald Trump’s presidency. He had addressed a massive diaspora event in Houston, titled “Howdy Modi”.

The development comes in the backdrop of US withdrawal from Afghanistan and seizure of power by the Taliban.

The US and its Nato allies withdrew forces from Afghanistan last week, plunging the country into a major crisis. Thousands of people are now rushing to the borders to flee the Taliban rule, known for its brutal and radical justice system.

After the Taliban captured the capital city of Kabul on August 15, the US had supported India with the evacuations of its citizens. The US has also been extending help to India in the Covid-19 crisis by sending medical supplies.

India is a non-permanent member of the UN security council and its month-long presidency has just ended. During the upcoming UNGA session, Afghanistan is expected to be a key topic of discussion.

Meanwhile, the 2+2 dialogue between India and the United States would be held in November later this year, foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla announced earlier in the day. He is currently in Washington and has been holding discussions with several senior officials of the Biden administration including Secretary of State Anton Blinken and Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman.

“We’re looking at the 2+2 which will happen in November. The exact dates are not yet worked out,” Shringla told a group of Indian reporters at the conclusion of his three-day visit.

The last meeting of the 2+2 dialogue was held in New Delhi and the next meeting is to be hosted by the US in Washington DC.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has also held a series of telephonic conversations with his counterpart Blinken.