PM Modi, US President Joe Biden Hold Bilateral Meet before G20 Summit, Discuss Strengthening Ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met US President Joe Biden on Friday for a bilateral meeting ahead of Saturday’s G20 Leadership Summit.

“Happy to have welcomed United States President Joe Biden to 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. Our meeting was very productive. We were able to discuss numerous topics which will further economic and people-to-people linkages between India and USA. The friendship between our nations will continue to play a great role in furthering global good,” PM Modi posted on X, following his meeting with Joe Biden.

Both world leaders met at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in Delhi and discussed a wide range of issues and measures to further deepen the bilateral relationship between New Delhi and Washington DC.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the President of the United States are holding talks at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in Delhi. Their discussions include a wide range of issues and will further deepen the bond between India and USA,’ the Prime Minister’s Office said in a tweet.

The US has been supportive of India’s G20 Presidency and earlier in the day Biden staffer, the US commerce secretary Janet Yellen, lauded the actions and achievements made by India during its tenure as G20 President.

“Our goals for the G20 have coincided closely with those of India. We have tackled very important challenges. I think we have had considerable success in changing the way the entire multilateral development system is operating,” Yellen said.

Yellen also said that despite global issues the G20 “has been extremely effective, especially under India’s leadership”.

All eyes are also on Joe Biden, PM Modi, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Saudi Arabian Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud to see if these four leaders announce an infrastructure deal, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, which shall connect the Gulf countries by railways with Western Asian nations and then connect them via a port to India.

Biden will be keen to build closer ties with West Asian and Gulf leaders as China emerges as a key player in the region. If the project is discussed and announced, then it would also help nations in the region avoid the Chinese debt trap in which nations have fallen when they opted to be a part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).