PM Modi-Biden bilateral meet would improve India-US relations: White House

A senior White House official said that President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first bilateral meeting on Friday will strengthen US-India strategic ties by allowing the leaders to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and how the two countries can work together to combat terrorism. According to the official, the Quad grouping will gain impetus from the first in-person meeting at the White House.

On September 24, Biden will welcome Modi at the White House for their first bilateral encounter. Later that day, Biden will convene the first-ever in-person Quad Leaders' Summit with Modi, Yoshihide Suga- Prime Minister of Japan and Scott Morrison- Australian Prime Minister. President Biden and Prime Minister Modi have spoken several times since Biden was elected president of the United States in January. Their most recent phone talk took place on April 26.

The leaders will be focused on deepening the strong links

The White House official said that the leaders will focus on deepening the strong links between their people and shared democratic principles that have sustained the particular alliance between the US and India for over seven decades. The official further said that by working together to preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific, spearheading efforts to stop the COVID-19 pandemic, and taking joint action to solve the climate catastrophe, the Biden-Harris administration has deepened the cooperation with India.

On September 23, US Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with Prime Minister Modi, according to the official. The two leaders will meet for the first time at this event. A senior official from the Biden administration told a news conference earlier that the Biden-Modi meeting would be an occasion to "move from strength to strength" in terms of the strategic alliance with India.

Instability and fundamentalism in Afghanistan will embolden terrorist ideologies

In expressing India's position on the Afghan problem, Modi said the international community should decide "collectively" and "thoughtfully" on whether or not to recognise the new Afghan government, citing concerns about its legitimacy due to the lack of "inclusive" power transition. Modi also warned that continued instability and fundamentalism in Afghanistan will embolden terrorist and extremist ideologies around the world during a virtual address to the heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation on September 17.

(Inputs from PTI)

Image: AP/ PTI