No official word from New Delhi or Washington, DC about the Indian invitation yet
Our Bureau
New Delhi
US President Joe Biden is not expected to travel to India in January to participate in the Republic Day celebrations and the Indian side is looking at revised dates for a Quad Summit that was planned to be held next month, several media reports said on Tuesday.
According to sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, it is now clear Biden would not travel to India next month, prompting the Indian side to scout for new dates for the Quad Summit to be hosted by New Delhi. As recently as last month, diplomats of Quad states said the option of holding the summit on January 27 was still on the table.
The Indian side now proposes to hold the Quad Summit later in 2024, the people said. “We are looking for revised dates as the dates currently under consideration do not work with all the Quad partners,” one of the people said. The development will also put the Indian side in the uncomfortable position of having to look for a leader to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations with a little more than six weeks to go for the event, according to sources familiar with the event.
A number of factors are believed to be behind the US administration’s decision not to take up the Republic Day invitation, including Biden’s focus on his re-election bid in the face of a resurgent campaign by former president Donald Trump, the State of the Union address expected in late January or early February, and a string of geopolitical crises, especially the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Quad Summit in India, expected to be held around the time of Republic Day, is proposed to be held later in 2024 and Indian officials are looking for revised dates. “The Quad Summit is proposed to be held later in 2024. We are looking for revised dates as the dates currently under consideration do not work with all the Quad partners,” a source said.
Sources said while an official invitation was extended, no confirmation was received because President Biden will be preparing for his State of Union address — an important speech which will be his last in his current term and will likely play into his 2024 election bid.
Asked who will then be the chief guest, the sources said it is yet to be decided.
In September, US Ambassador Eric Garcetti confirmed that Biden was invited by PM Modi for the Republic Day when he visited New Delhi for the G20 Leaders’ Summit even though Washington had officially not confirmed it. “During their bilateral talks on the sidelines of the G-20 summit, Prime Minister Modi invited President Biden to visit for 26 January,” Garcetti told a group of journalists in New Delhi.
He added, however, that the Quad Summit was not discussed between the two leaders during that time as that had to be coordinated between all four nations in the Quad. A virtual Quad summit instead of an in-person one, however, is currently not being considered, sources said. Also, 26 January is observed as the official national day of Australia which have also contributed to scheduling issues.
The last time a US President was the Chief Guest at Republic Day celebrations was in January 2015 when Barack Obama attended.
