Washington —  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met with US Vice President Kamala Harris here, a day ahead of his highly anticipated bilateral meet with US President Joe Biden.

This was Modi’s first in-person meeting with Harris after she made history by becoming the first Indian-origin person to become the Vice President of America.

Earlier in June this year, Modi held a telephonic conversation with Harris and discussed the US’ strategy for global vaccine sharing and the Quad vaccine initiative to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement before leaving for the US, the Indian Prime Minister had said he is looking forward to meeting Vice President Kamala Harris to explore opportunities for cooperation between our two nations particularly in the area of science and technology.

Earlier in the day, Modi met US Vice President Kamala Harris, Australian PM Scott Morrison and held meetings with five global CEOs for potential investment in India.

These talks were part of series of meetings that Prime Minister Modi undertook with select heads of corporates that have the potential to invest significantly in India.

Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Modi arrived in Washington for his much-touted US visit. He had earlier addressed the Global COVID-19 Summit called by US President Biden.

Biden is scheduled to host Modi at the White House on September 24. This is going to be the first in-person meeting between the two leaders after Biden took over as the US President on January 20.

Biden will host the first-ever in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit, which will be joined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

Indian PM Modi’s US visit will conclude on September 25 with an address at the United Nations General Assembly focusing on the pressing global challenges including the Covid-19 pandemic, the need to combat terrorism, climate change, and other important issues.

This is Indian Prime Minister Modi’s first visit abroad beyond the neighborhood since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

Indian PM Modi is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, and senior officials. The high-level session of the UNGA began on Tuesday in New York.

The theme for this year’s General Debate is ‘Building Resilience through hope to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalize the United Nations. (ANI)