New Delhi: US President Joe Biden has decided to cancel his planned trip to India next month, where he was invited to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 2024. The move has also led to the postponement of the Quad summit, which was supposed to be hosted by India in January.
According to officials familiar with the matter, India is now looking at alternative dates for the Quad summit, which involves the leaders of India, the US, Japan, and Australia. The summit is expected to take place later in 2024, as the current dates are not convenient for all the Quad partners.
The reasons behind Biden’s decision to skip the Republic Day event are not clear, but some sources speculate that it could be due to his busy domestic agenda, his intention to run for re-election in 2024, and his involvement in the ongoing Hamas-Israel conflict. The US has not officially confirmed or denied Biden’s cancellation.
India had hoped to host Biden as the chief guest at the Republic Day parade, which marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Indian constitution. The event is a showcase of India’s military and cultural diversity and is attended by thousands of people, including foreign dignitaries. India had also planned to hold the Quad summit on January 27, a day after Republic Day, to discuss regional and global issues of common interest.
The Quad, or the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is a strategic forum that aims to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The Quad leaders held their first in-person summit in Hiroshima, Japan, on May 20, 2023, on the sidelines of the G7 summit. The Quad summit was originally scheduled to take place in Sydney, Australia, on May 24, 2023, but was shifted to Japan due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The US and India have maintained close ties in recent months, with several high-level visits and dialogues. In October, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited India for the two plus two ministerial talks, where they signed a key defense pact and discussed cooperation on various issues. Last week, US Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jonathan Finer visited India and met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other officials. Currently, FBI Director Christopher Wray is in Delhi for a three-day visit, where he is expected to discuss counter-terrorism and cyber-security cooperation.
