PM Modi to have substantive engagement with US president: Foreign Secretary

New Delhi, Sep 19: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden will have a substantive engagement on the sidelines of the Quad summit on Saturday, and the two sides will sign at least two agreements following the talks.

One pact will be related to the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and the other memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be on the India-US drug framework, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Thursday.

Modi will pay a three-day visit to the United States beginning September 21 to attend the annual Quad summit and address the “Summit of the Future” at the United Nations General Assembly.

Modi will hold separate bilateral talks with Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of the Quad summit in Wilmington, Delaware on September 21.

The talks between Modi and Biden will take place amid some unease in the India-US ties following Washington’s allegations of an Indian link to a foiled plot to kill Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

The US has consistently pressed India for updates on the Indian investigation into the plot and made it clear that it seeks accountability in the case.

At the meeting, Modi is also expected to apprise Biden of his recent talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on finding a peaceful solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“There will be an opportunity to have a substantive engagement between the prime minister and President Biden, where they will have the opportunity to review the comprehensive global strategic partnership between India and the US, which today covers almost every aspect of human endeavour through the 50-plus engagements and bilateral dialogue mechanisms,” Misri said.

He was briefing the media on Modi’s trip to the US.

“It will also give an opportunity to thank President Biden for his pioneering role in strengthening the India-US relationship and several new initiatives, such as the initiative on critical and emerging technologies,” Misri said.

The foreign secretary said there will be an opportunity for both sides to exchange a few agreements, including one on the IPEF.

The pact on the IPEF is related to the clean economy and fair economy pillars.

In line with Washington’s long-term vision for the Indo-Pacific, Biden launched the ambitious Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) in May 2022.

It is an initiative aimed at deeper cooperation among like-minded countries in areas like clean energy, supply-chain resilience and digital trade.

Besides India, Japan and Australia, the other member countries of the IPEF are Brunei Darussalam, Fiji, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The IPEF has four pillars -- trade, supply-chain resilience, clean economy and fair economy. India is yet to join the trade pillar and discussions between the two sides on it are underway.

To a question on whether Modi will meet former US president Donald Trump during his US visit, Misri did not give a direct reply.

“We are trying to schedule many meetings with the prime minister. I will not be able to tell you about any specific meeting -- whether the meeting has been finalised or not,” he said.

“We are looking from all angles as to how much time we have and with whom we can hold meetings. We will keep updating you about the meetings,” he added.

Two days ago, Trump, the Republican nominee in the US presidential race, said he will meet Modi next week.

From Wilmington, the prime minister will travel to New York to attend the “Summit of the Future” at the UN General Assembly.

In New York, Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders, Misri said.

On the prime minister’s participation in the “Summit of the Future” at the UN General Assembly, he said India is expected to pitch for “inclusive and equitable sustainable development”.

Referring to India hosting the third Voice of Global South Summit virtually on August 17, the foreign secretary indicated that many of the concerns raised during the deliberations would find a voice at the UN summit.

“I would imagine that many of the concerns raised at the summit will also find a voice at the Summit of the Future,” he said.