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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House on Friday (local time) during his three-day visit to the United States. PM Modi will review the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with President Biden and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, said a departure statement. This will be the first in-person meeting between the two leaders after Biden took over as the US President on January 20.
Earlier, Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla had earlier informed that PM Modi and Biden will review "robust and multifaceted" India-US bilateral ties and will hold a discussion to bolster bilateral trade and investment ties. Both leaders will discuss the current regional security situation following the recent developments in Afghanistan in the bilateral meeting, he had said. Regular exchange of high-level political visits has provided sustained momentum to bilateral cooperation, while the wide-ranging and ever-expanding dialogue architecture has established a long-term framework for India-US engagement. The frequency of high-level visits and exchanges between India and the US has gone up significantly of late. These include the earlier 2019 visit of PM Modi to the US and former US President Donald Trump''s visit to India in 2020. These have been strengthened by the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, which is led by the heads of foreign and defence ministries of India and the US. The outcomes generated by these visits have been instrumental in further strengthening and developing the multifaceted ties between the two countries. Biden will also host the first-ever in-person Quad Leaders'' Summit on September 24, which will be joined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. "As a part of their ongoing efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, they will review the Quad Vaccine initiative which was announced in March this year. They will also exchange views on contemporary global issues such as critical and emerging technologies, connectivity and infrastructure, cyber security, maritime security, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, climate change and education. Earlier in April this year, President Biden spoke with PM Modi on a phone call, committing that the United States and India will work closely together in the fight against COVID-19. The Prime Minister also held delegation-level talks with US Vice President Kamala Harris and exchanged views on recent global and regional developments. Prime Minister Modi arrived in Washington on Wednesday for his much-touted US visit. This is Prime Minister Modi''s first visit abroad beyond the neighbourhood since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. PM Modi is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and senior officials.(ANI)
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