New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States assumes enormous significance and could not have come at a more opportune time when America is facing severe criticism for the manner it withdrew the forces from Afghanistan, India’s former ambassador and diplomacy expert, a member of Association of Indian Diplomats, Research Information Systems and Ambassadors’ Club of PHD Chamber of Commerce, Jitendra Tripathi said on Tuesday.
“The war-torn country of Afghanistan is still reeling under the atrocities of the Taliban, who have so far failed to get recognition from countries including their friends China and mentor Pakistan. Terrorism is again spreading its wings and there is a fear that Afghanistan turning an hotbed for exporting terrorist organizations and terrorist activities.
When China is flexing its muscles in the South China Sea and the new Troika of the UK, US, Australia has been formed to utter discomfiture of China. Therefore, this is the time when Modi’s visit to the US is coming through. A plethora of issues will come up between the two biggest democracies and first being terrorism as a fallout of America’s departure from the Taliban. Issues ranging from Pakistan’s role so far in Taliban, recognition of Taliban or humanitarian assistance and under ‘Quad’ production of the vaccine, its manufacture and supply of raw materials from the US, issue of visa, US-India trade embargo will be discussed,” said ambassador Tripathi in interaction with ETV Bharat.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for a three-day visit to the United States to attend the first in-person Quad leaders’ summit, hold bilateral meetings and address the 76th session of the UN General Assembly.
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In a statement before his departure, Modi said his visit to the United States of America would be an occasion to strengthen the comprehensive global strategic partnership with the USA.
Tripathi further added that the two leaders will discuss at length the India-US strategic partnership, defence issues. He said, “Most importantly, the issue of Iran would be discussed since Iran has shown its antipathy to Taliban, thereby, opening a little window for the US to re-engage with Iran”.
“Not only that, India too have a strategic interest in Iran because Iran being friends for centuries was supplying oil to India at concessional rates and at the same time the Chabahar port is at stake. The supply of oil has been stopped because of the American sanctions on Iran. But India can ask the USA to allow supply of crude oil from Iran at a concessional rate”, the expert pointed out.
PM Modi will meet US President Joe Biden on September 24. This meeting between the two will take place in Washington. This will be the first time since Joe Biden took office in January 2021 that he will have a one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
