India

PM Modi to arrive in Wilmington as Biden hosts ‘Quad’ leaders at his hometown Delaware

Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other world leaders will arrive in Wilmington on Saturday morning (local time) for the Quad Summit in US President Joe Biden’s hometown, Delaware.

Biden is hosting the leaders of India, Australia, and Japan and will hold bilateral meetings with them.

The gathering will be the first time that Joe Biden, as President, has ever asked a foreign leader to visit Wilmington, a reflection of his closeness with each dignitary: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Biden has also received each of the three Prime Ministers to the White House for official state visits, an honour reserved for the closest allies.

It will be the sixth time the leaders have all met — the fourth time in person — since Biden promoted the “Quad” to the leader level in 2021. This summit would mark Biden’s final summit of the “Quad,” an alliance he decided to elevate during his first year in office.

With the hometown summit, the White House hopes to project a strong alliance with Indo-Pacific partners, especially at a time when countering China’s rising influence is a top priority for the Biden administration.

During both group discussions and individual conversations this weekend, Biden is likely to proudly showcase his home, known by aides as “Lake House” because of the manmade lake on its grounds. He expects to share with them significant milestone moments during his career that have been marked there, including where he learned four years ago that he had been elected president.

The main Quad gathering will take place at Archmere Academy, the private Catholic school Biden attended in Claymont, Delaware. This will include a leaders-level meeting, the Cancer Moonshot event and a private dinner, the White House said.

“President Biden asked that the historic Patio on the campus of his high school alma mater, Archmere Academy, be the site of the Quad Leaders’ Summit, with leaders from Australia, India, and Japan,” a school spokesperson said in a statement

Biden specifically wanted to incorporate “personal touches” at the two-day event, emphasising the importance of “deep personal relationships” as central to his foreign policy approach, a senior White House official said.

As Biden turns to his own hometown diplomacy this weekend, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said he’s focused on “showing them a place and a community that shaped so much of the public servant and the leader that he became.”

He added, “It’s also a reflection of his belief that, like politics, foreign policy is also personal.”

Originally, it was India’s turn to hold the event this year, but when the dates appeared too close to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the US and India decided to swap responsibilities.

India is now scheduled to host the next summit in 2025, raising the possibility that Vice President Kamala Harris, whose mother immigrated from India, would make a significant symbolic return if she is elected in November.

ANI

Ani service

Recent Posts

MEA condemns Canada’s “baseless references” against Home Minister Amit Shah

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday strongly protested against recent allegations made by…

5 hours ago

“Verification patrolling has commenced… in Demchok and Depsang”: MEA on disengagement between India and China

The Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday said that verification patrolling has commenced in Demchok…

6 hours ago

“Sanctioned companies not in violation of Indian law,” says MEA after US sanctions 19 Indian companies

The Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday reacted to the recent U.S. sanctions imposed on…

7 hours ago

Two terrorists killed in encounter with security forces in J-K’s Anantnag

Two terrorists were killed by security forces during an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag…

9 hours ago

“Not an issue of security lapses, security forces giving befitting reply”: Rajnath Singh on J-K terror attacks

Terming the recent terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir as "unfortunate", Union Defence Minister Rajnath…

10 hours ago

Nasirabad: BYC holds demonstrations against enforced disappearances by Pakistan’s forces

The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) held demonstrations against the ongoing enforced disappearances by the Pakistan…

13 hours ago