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US President Joe Biden on Saturday (local time) gestured towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi when asked about whether the Quad will survive beyond the US elections in November.
"Way beyond November," said Biden while putting his hand on the shoulder of PM Modi. Following the request of the US to host the Quad Summit this year, India has agreed to host the next Quad Summit in 2025, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. India was expected to host the summit this year but the schedules of the leaders attending the summit did not permit so. The 2024 US Presidential Election is scheduled for November 5, 2024. Vice President Kamala Harris is the Democratic nominee after Biden exited the race in July, and she is up against the Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump. On Saturday, President Biden hosted a quadrilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. President Biden announced a series of initiatives to deliver a real positive impact for the Indo-Pacific, including providing new maritime technologies to Quad partners. "Today we're announcing a series of initiatives to deliver a real positive impact for the Indo-Pacific that includes providing new maritime technologies to our regional partners so they know what's happening in their waters. Launching cooperation between coast guards for the first time and expanding the Quad fellowship to include students from southeast Asia. So I want to thank you all again for being here. While challenges will come, the world will change because the Quad is here to stay, I believe...," said Biden. Earlier ahead of the Quad summit, President Biden and PM Modi engaged in a bilateral meeting. President Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi affirmed that the U.S.-India Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership, the defining partnership of the 21st century, is decisively delivering on an ambitious agenda that serves the global good. The Leaders reflected on a historic period that has seen the United States and India reach unprecedented levels of trust and collaboration. The Leaders affirmed that the U.S.-India partnership must be anchored in upholding democracy, freedom, the rule of law, human rights, pluralism, and equal opportunities for all as our countries strive to become more perfect unions and meet our shared destiny. The Leaders commended the progress that has made the U.S.-India Major Defense Partnership a pillar of global security and peace, highlighting the benefits of increased operational coordination, information-sharing, and defense industrial innovation. President Biden and Prime Minister Modi expressed unrelenting optimism and the utmost confidence that the tireless efforts of our peoples, our civic and private sectors, and our governments to forge deeper bonds have set the U.S.-India partnership on a path toward even greater heights in the decades ahead. (ANI)
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