Biden praises India’s leadership in global arena, PM Modi’s commitment to strengthen Quad

Washington, September 22 (IANS) US President Joe Biden has expressed “tremendous appreciation” for India’s leadership in the international arena, particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership in the G-20 and the global South and his commitment to strengthening the Quad to ensure a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

President Biden also praised Prime Minister Modi for his historic visits to Poland and Ukraine, the first by an Indian prime minister in decades, and for his message of peace and ongoing humanitarian support for Ukraine, including its energy sector, and the importance of international law, including the UN Charter, the White House said on Saturday.

President Biden and Prime Minister Modi, during their meeting earlier in the day, reaffirmed that the U.S.-India comprehensive global and strategic partnership, the definition of a 21st century partnership, is resolutely pursuing an ambitious agenda for the global good.

Prime Minister Modi described the meeting with Biden as “extremely fruitful” and thanked the president for hosting him at the latter’s residence in Greenville, Delaware. “During the meeting, we had an opportunity to discuss regional and global issues,” he said in a post on X after the meeting.

The leaders reflected on a “historic period” in which the U.S. and India have achieved unprecedented levels of trust and cooperation. They reaffirmed that the U.S.-India partnership “must be anchored in upholding democracy, freedom, the rule of law, human rights, pluralism, and equal opportunity for all as our countries strive to become more perfect and realize our common destiny.”

President Biden and Prime Minister Modi hailed progress that has made the major U.S.-India defense partnership a “pillar of global security and peace,” highlighting the benefits of increased operational coordination, information sharing and defense industry innovation, the White House said.

They expressed “continued optimism” and “the utmost confidence” that “the tireless efforts of our nations, our civil and private sectors, and our governments to forge closer ties have set the U.S.-India partnership on a path of even greater achievement in the decades ahead.”

India is leading efforts to find solutions to the most pressing challenges, from supporting the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic to addressing the devastating effects of conflicts around the world, the statement said.

The leaders reaffirmed their support for freedom of navigation and trade protection, including in key sea lanes in the Middle East, where in 2025 India will co-chair Joint Task Force 150, which will work with the Joint Naval Forces to secure sea lanes in the Arabian Sea.

President Biden shared with Prime Minister Modi that the US supports initiatives to reform global institutions to reflect India’s important voice, including permanent membership of India on a reformed UN Security Council. The leaders expressed their view that a closer US-India partnership “is critical to the success of efforts to build a cleaner, more inclusive, safer and more prosperous future for the planet.”

President Biden and Prime Minister Modi hailed the success of the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) in deepening and expanding strategic cooperation in key technology sectors, including space, semiconductors, and advanced telecommunications. Both leaders pledged to increase regular engagements to improve cooperation momentum in areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum, biotechnology, and clean energy.

They highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen collaboration with like-minded partners, including through the Quad and the trilateral US-India-ROK Technology initiative launched earlier this year to build safer and more resilient supply chains for key industries and ensure that we collectively remain at the forefront of innovation. ROK is an acronym for South Korea’s official name, Republic of Korea.