New Delhi: 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, ThePrint has learnt.
“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.
The original date for the Quad summit was 27 January, but will now be rescheduled depending on the availability of all four leaders since India as well as the US will enter into “election mode” the next year, sources said.
It remains to be seen if US President Joe Biden, who was extended an invitation to attend the Republic Day celebrations as the chief guest, will visit India twice for these events, though it is highly unlikely.
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.
ThePrint reached out to the US Embassy in India to seek clarification on whether Biden will attend the Republic Day celebrations, but did not get a response. This report will be updated as and when it is received.
A Quad Summit would require the participation of all four leaders of the grouping – Biden, Modi, Australian PM Anthony Albanese, and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida.
In May, at the Quad leaders’ meeting on the sidelines of the G-7 Summit in Japan’s Hiroshima, PM Modi had announced that India would host the next Quad leaders’ summit. “We will be happy to host the Quad summit in India in 2024,” he had said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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