“You are causing me a real problem. Next month (June), we have a dinner for you in Washington, US. Everyone in the whole country wants to come to attend the event. I have run out of tickets. You think I am kidding? Ask my team. I am getting phone calls from those people I have never heard of before. Everyone from movie stars to relatives. You are too popular,” President Biden was quoted as saying on May 20 during a meeting of Quad leaders in Tokyo, according to media report.
“Mr Prime Minister, you have made an important impact on everything, including what we are doing in the QUAD today (May 21). You also made a fundamental shift in the area of climate. You have influence in the Indo-Pacific. You are making a difference,” he added
Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on an official state visit to the US, which will include a state dinner on June 22, 2023, following an invitation from President Joseph Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
As PM Modi will visit Australia, where he would interact with Australian CEOs, business leaders and also interact with Indian expats at a community event in Sydney on May 23.
According to media reports, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said that he is unable to arrange all the requests for tickets to the community reception to be held in Sydney. The sold-out venue has a capacity of ablut 20,000 people.
Importantly, PM Modi has departed for Papua New Guinea today, where he will be received by Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape at the airport.
The visit of Prime Minister to Papua New Guinea is aimed to expand India’s outreach to Pacific Island countries. The Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) Summit, which will be held in Port Moresby on May 22. The Summit will be attended by leaders from 14 nations.
Notably, FIPIC is a multinational grouping came into existance in 2014 for cooperation between India and 14 Pacific Islands nations which include Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Solomon Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
All heads of state or heads of Govts of the above nations met in Suva, Fiji in November 2014, where the annual summit was conceptualised.
