Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended an invitation to President Joe Biden to attend the Republic Day celebrations in 2024, US Ambassador Eric Garcetti said on Wednesday, 20 September.
Garcetti said that the invitation was extended during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
Earlier, sources had indicated that India is considering inviting leaders from the QUAD countries to the Republic Day celebrations. Alongside India and the US, the other two members of the QUAD are Australia and Japan.
When asked about the invitation of other QUAD members, Garcetti clarified that Prime Minister Modi did not specifically mention QUAD.
It's worth noting that in 2018, India extended an invitation to then-President Donald Trump to attend the Republic Day parade, which he had to decline due to prior domestic commitments. This year, the chief guest at the Republic Day parade was Egypt President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
In 2015, former President Barack Obama became the first US Head of State to attend the Republic Day parade in India as a chief guest.
During an event in Delhi, the US Ambassador to India also addressed the ongoing diplomatic tensions between India and addressed the possibility of US intervention to help settle ties. He said:
"I think it’s way too early to talk about United States between two other countries, but we certainly have a deep respect and huge agenda and relationship here. And us having a relationship speaks for itself. We share our border we share so much history and culture together and the values.”
"I think, for us, it is critical for us to return the three principles one, sovereignty, non interference to allow the criminal justice investigations to be carried out. And then there'll be accountability for that. And I think it's too early to know exactly how it plays out. Statements have been made by the Canadian government and by the Indian government," he added.
The US envoy to India said that the individuals responsible "must be held accountable."
"We hope that traditional friends and partners will cooperate in getting to the bottom of it," Garcetti said.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)