Joe Biden: According to people familiar with the situation, US President Joe Biden is not scheduled to visit India as the Chief Guest for Republic Day celebrations next month. As it is understood that Biden did not schedule a visit to India in January, the four-nation coalition Quad summit is also not happening next month as previously anticipated.
Invitation to President Biden
President Biden was invited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be the chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations on January 26th, according to a September statement from US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti. India, however, remained silent regarding the invitation. Separately, sources informed news agency PTI that the Quad summit is now planned to take place in India in late 2024 rather than in January as originally planned.
Anticipation of Quad Summit
If Biden accepted India’s invitation, it was anticipated that the Quad summit would happen on or around January 27. “The Quad Summit in India is proposed to be held later in 2024. We are looking for revised dates as the dates currently under consideration do not work with all the Quad partners,” a source told Press Trust of India. The United States, Japan, Australia, and India make up the Quad or Quadrilateral coalition. According to information obtained, Washington has informed New Delhi that President Biden will not be able to visit India for the Republic Day festivities.
Intensive US-India Engagements
In the past few months, senior US officials have visited India on a rapid pace. For the ‘2+2’ ministerial dialogue, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin travelled to India last month. Last week, US Principal Deputy NSA Jonathan Finer travelled to India, and FBI Director Christopher Wray is currently in New Delhi. The allegations from Washington regarding an Indian connection to an attempted assassination of a Khalistani terrorist on US soil accompanied Finer and Wray’s visit. An Indian official and a man accused of plotting to kill Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun were connected by American prosecutors. A probe team has already been established in India to look into the claims.
Quad Summit Rescheduling
According to the sources who spoke with Press Trust of India, India is considering new dates for the Quad summit. The previous Quad summit was held on May 20 on the fringes of the G7 summit in Hiroshima. Originally set for May 24, the Quad summit was to be held in Sydney. But after President Biden cancelled his trip to Australia, it was decided to hold it in Hiroshima. The Quad leaders are anticipated to strengthen overall cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, an area where China’s military assertiveness has been increasing, during their upcoming summit.
Quad’s Vision for Indo-Pacific
‘Enduring Partners for Indo-Pacific’ is the ‘Vision Statement’ that the Quad leaders unveiled during the Hiroshima summit, resolving to be a “force for good” and working together to find solutions that will benefit the entire region. Additionally, they announced a number of initiatives, such as investments in strategic technologies, undersea cables, and clean energy supply chains.
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