Ahead Of G-20 Summit, PM Modi Holds Bilateral Talks With US President Joe Biden

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden held productive bilateral talks at Lok Kalyan Marg today (8 September).

The meeting took place soon after Biden landed in New Delhi to participate in the G20 Summit chaired by Prime Minister Modi.

The discussions covered a wide range of issues and are expected to strengthen the bond between India and the USA, the prime minister's office said.

PM Modi tweeted about the meeting, expressing his satisfaction with the productive discussions.

The topics discussed will contribute to enhancing economic and people-to-people linkages between India and the USA. He also emphasized the importance of the friendship between the two nations in advancing global good.

“Our meeting was very productive. We were able to discuss numerous topics which will further economic and people-to-people linkages between India and the USA. The friendship between our nations will continue to play a great role in furthering global good,” PM Modi said.

“The leaders re-emphasised that the shared values of freedom, democracy, human rights, inclusion, pluralism, and equal opportunities for all citizens are critical to the success our countries enjoy and that these values strengthen our relationship," the Indo-US joint statement on White House website said.

"President Biden lauded India’s G20 Presidency for further demonstrating how the G20 as a forum is delivering important outcomes," the statement added.

The statement further added, "The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the G20 and expressed confidence that the outcomes of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi will advance the shared goals of accelerating sustainable development, bolstering multilateral cooperation, and building global consensus around inclusive economic policies to address our greatest common challenges, including fundamentally reshaping and scaling up multilateral development banks."

The leaders affirmed their commitment to cooperation on various issues, including democratic values, quantum computing, nuclear energy and semiconductor supply chains.

"Reiterating the importance of nuclear energy as a necessary resource to meet our nations’ climate, energy transition, and energy security needs, Prime Minister Modi and President Biden welcomed intensified consultations between the relevant entities on both sides to expand opportunities for facilitating India-U.S. collaboration in nuclear energy, including in development of next generation small modular reactor technologies in a collaborative mode," the statement read.

The United States reaffirmed its support for India’s membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group and committed to continue engagement with like-minded partners to advance this goal.

President Biden welcomed the issuance of a Letter of Request from the Ministry of Defence of India to procure 31 General Atomics MQ-9B (16 Sky Guardian and 15 Sea Guardian) remotely piloted aircraft and their associated equipment.

Both the leaders also welcomed completion of the Congressional Notification process on 29 August 2023 and the commencement of negotiations for a commercial agreement between GE Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL) to manufacture GE F-414 jet engines in India, and recommitted to work collaboratively and expeditiously to support the advancement of this unprecedented co-production and technology transfer proposal.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and US NSA Jake Sullivan attended the meeting from the US side, while the Indian delegation included External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval.

During the Summit, Prime Minister Modi has a packed schedule with 15 bilateral meetings planned over the next two days. These meetings will bring together world leaders in the national capital to discuss important matters.

The prime minister has expressed his anticipation for these meetings, as they provide an opportunity to review India's bilateral ties with these nations and strengthen developmental cooperation.

Prime Minister Modi is confident that the New Delhi G20 Summit will pave the way for human-centric and inclusive development.

He expressed his intention to strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation through bilateral meetings with various leaders and Heads of Delegation.

In addition to attending the G20 events, he will have separate meetings with the leaders of the UK, Japan, Germany, and Italy on Saturday. Sources also revealed that on Sunday, Modi will engage in a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

On Saturday, he will have separate meetings with the leaders of the UK, Japan, Germany, and Italy, in addition to attending the G20 events. Furthermore, sources have disclosed that on Sunday, Modi will partake in a working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.