 "Joe Biden")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended an invitation to US President Joe Biden to be the chief guest at India's 75th Republic Day celebrations on January 26 next year, according to United States Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti. The invitation was made during a bilateral meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the recently concluded G20 summit in New Delhi.
Garcetti did not confirm whether the US has accepted the invitation. If Biden accepts, this would mark the second time a US President has attended India's Republic Day parade; the first was Barack Obama in 2015. Notably, then-President Donald Trump was invited for the 2018 Republic Day celebrations but had to decline due to domestic commitments.
Earlier this month, unconfirmed media reports suggested that India was keen on inviting the leaders of all the other three Quad nations—United States, Japan, and Australia—for next year's Republic Day celebrations. India is also set to host the fourth Quad Summit in 2024. However, there is no official confirmation regarding the attendance of these leaders.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to be engaged in public celebrations on January 26, which is also Australia's national day. Meanwhile, Japan generally initiates its Diet (Parliament) session in the last week of January. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is likely to be present for the early weeks of the Budget session, which is scheduled to commence on January 23.
