‘Quad key group of like-minded countries’: PM Modi ahead of US visit

The Quad is a key group of like-minded countries working for peace, progress and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday as he left for a visit to the US during which he will participate in a summit of the grouping.

Modi is set to hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of Quad – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and US President Joe Biden – on the margins of the Quad Leaders Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, which will be the first event of the three-day visit.

“I look forward joining my colleagues President Biden, Prime Minister Albanese and Prime Minister Kishida for the Quad Summit. The forum has emerged as a key group of the like-minded countries to work for peace, progress and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region,” he said in a statement ahead of his departure early on Saturday.

“My meeting with President Biden will allow us to review and identify new pathways to further deepen India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership for the benefit of our people and the global good,” he added.

The Quad leaders will launch a special drive to prevent, detect and treat cancer, called the Cancer Moonshot, on the margins of their summit. They are also expected to unveil steps to boost the grouping’s work in key areas such as maritime security, health security, connectivity, infrastructure, disaster relief and counter-terrorism.

Besides the Quad Summit being hosted by Biden in his hometown of Wilmington on Saturday, Modi will address the Summit of the Future at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 23.

“The Summit of the Future is an opportunity for the global community to chart the road ahead for the betterment of humanity,” Modi said.

“I will share views of the one-sixth of the humanity as their stakes in a peaceful and secure future are among the highest in the world.”

Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Modi to interact with Indian diaspora

He also said he was “eagerly looking forward to engaging with the Indian diaspora and important American business leaders, who are the key stakeholders and provide vibrancy to the unique partnership between the largest and the oldest democracies of the world”.

He will interact with the diaspora at a community event to be held at Long Island in New York on September 22.