'We see India as a leader within the Quad,' says US ahead of crucial meet of the group in Delaware

The US sees India as a leader within the Quad and is grateful for New Delhi's role in the four-nation grouping, a top White House official has said. 

The remarks by Mira Rapp-Hooper, White House National Security Council Senior Director for East Asia and Oceania, came two days ahead of the Quad summit, comprising leaders from Australia, India, Japan and the US. 

US President Joe Biden will host Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan for the fourth in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit on September 21. 

“When it comes to the role that we expect India to play, we expect and indeed see India as a leader within the Quad," she said on September 19. 

The best encapsulation of the way the US thinks about India’s role is captured in Washington's Indo-Pacific Strategy, she added. 

“...we say that the United States seeks an India that is increasingly a leader in the region and increasingly a partner with the United States,” Rapp-Hooper said. 

“Through the Quad, we are increasingly working on projects in South Asia, which, of course, is a huge strategic priority for the government in Delhi, and we’re grateful for India’s leadership,” she added.   

“The Quad has been an ideal venue through which, rather, we can work together because it not only allows for the critical exchange of strategic views where, of course, we are, as I say, increasingly aligned, but also it allows us to identify opportunities and priorities that not only matter to the United States or its traditional treaty allies like Australia and Japan but really matter to India,” Rapp-Hooper said. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in the US from September 21-23 to attend the fourth Quad Leaders’ Summit. The Prime Minister will also address an event at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. According to a release by the Ministry of External Affairs, PM Modi will attend the Quad meeting in Wilmington, Delaware, which will be hosted by US President Joe Biden.

At the Quad Summit, the leaders will review the progress achieved by the Quad over the last one year and set the agenda for the year ahead to assist the countries of the Indo-Pacific region in meeting their development goals and aspirations. The next Quad Summit will be hosted by India.