India Says Proposed Quad Summit Postponed To Later In 2024
India said a leaders’ summit of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue will likely be held later in 2024, a possible blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had hoped to showcase his growing international stature months before the country’s elections.
(Bloomberg) --
India said a leaders’ summit of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue will likely be held later in 2024, a possible blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had hoped to showcase his growing international stature months before the country’s elections.
New Delhi had to revise its proposed date for the meeting in order to accommodate the schedules of the Quad leaders from the US, Australia and Japan, according to an Indian official, who asked not to be identified in order to discuss the matter.
Modi invited US President Joe Biden to attend India’s Republic Day celebrations on Jan. 26, and had hoped to hold a Quad summit around the same time. The White House hasn’t confirmed if Biden accepted Modi’s invitation to visit India.
US-India ties have been complicated recently by allegations an Indian government agent was involved in a foiled attempt to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader in New York. In September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sparked a diplomatic row when he publicly accused India of orchestrating the murder of another Sikh separatist in Vancouver — allegations New Delhi has repeatedly denied.
India has said it’s investigating the US matter. The US and India have sought to downplay the issue, with several US officials visiting New Delhi on scheduled business since then, including Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray, who is in the country this week.
The Quad is a grouping of democracies revived in recent years to counter China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region. At the last Quad meeting in May in Tokyo, Modi had offered to host the event in New Delhi in 2024. Hosting the Quad summit after India’s successful Group of 20 leadership would have allowed Modi to tout his country’s growing importance on the international stage months before national elections.
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