Narendra Modi, Joe Biden to fight terrorism

Washington: The maiden bilateral meeting between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday will further strengthen the US-India strategic ties and allow the leaders to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and how the two countries can work together to fight terrorism, a senior White House official has said.

The first in-person meeting at the White House will also provide added momentum to the Quad grouping, the official said. Biden will host Modi at the White House for their first bilateral meeting on September 24. Later on that day, Biden will host the first-ever in-person Quad Leaders' Summit with Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Addressing a press conference earlier, a senior official of the Biden administration said US and India will be working together to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific, by taking steps to contribute to a global solution to the Covid-19 pandemic and by taking concerted action to address the climate crisis, the official said. The evolving situation in the strategically vital Indo-Pacific region amidst China's aggressive muscle-flexing has become a major talking point among leading global powers. "Additionally, in the bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi, the two leaders will have the opportunity to talk about counter-terrorism, the Afghanistan situation and how we can work together to fight terrorism, our common enemy, as well as about a range of regional issues and developments where we'll have the opportunity to compare notes," said the senior Biden administration official.