Obama, Modi to meet on sidelines of Paris climate summit

US President Barack Obama will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday in Paris where the two leaders would review progress in bilateral relationship and discussion on regional and global issues including terrorism.

The two leaders are expected to meet at 2.45 pm local time Paris on the sidelines of the crucial climate change conference.

Obama and Modi would primarily focus on climate change but will also review progress in bilateral relationship and discussion on regional and global issues including terrorism. They are likely to make a brief media appearance including remarks from the two leaders, according to the US president’s schedule released by the White House on Sunday.

Obama would also hold a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping early in the morning.

After Modi came to power in May last year, the two leaders have so far met for a record five times. They last met in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September. The Paris meeting is the sixth bilateral meeting between them.

Immediately after the Paris bilateral, the two leaders would be joined by French President Francois Hollande along with other leaders and members of the private sector for Mission Innovation Event, the White House said.

Obama arrived in Paris late Sunday night amidst an unprecedented security, in the aftermath of the terrorist attack early this month.

The first meeting between the two leaders was in Washington in September last year when Obama hosted Modi at the White House. Obama accepted Modi’s invitation to be the chief guest at the Republic Day Parade on January 26 this year in New Delhi.

In between, they met twice on the sidelines of other international meetings including G-20.

The Paris climate change conference also known as Conference of Parties is set to kick off in Paris and will go on till December 11.

Paris climate conference will for the first time in over 20 years of UN negotiations, aim to achieve a legally binding universal agreement on climate, with the aim of keeping global warming below 2°C.

The conference is expected to attract close to 50,000 participants including 25,000 official delegates from government, intergovernmental organisations, UN agencies, NGOs and civil society.

With more than 180 countries having already submitted their plans to reduce the harmful emissions that help cause climate change, Obama expressed optimism over the success of the Paris Summit.

“I am optimistic about what we can achieve -- because I’ve already seen America take incredible strides these past seven years,” Obama said in a post on White House’s Facebook post before he left for Paris.

“I’m heading to Paris today to join nearly 200 countries for a global conference on climate change. It’s an opportunity to stand in solidarity with our oldest ally, just two weeks removed from the barbaric attacks there, and reaffirm our commitment to protect our people and our way of life from terrorist threats,” Obama said.

The Obama administration considers India and China as key player for any negotiations on a successful agreement in Paris.

“What makes this gathering different is that more than 180 nations have already submitted plans to reduce the harmful emissions that help cause climate change. And America’s leadership is helping to drive this progress,” he said.

“In fact, our businesses and workers have shown that it’s possible to make progress towards a low-carbon future while creating new jobs and growing the economy. Our economic output is at all-time highs, but our greenhouse gas emissions are down towards 20-year lows,” Obama said.

“So what we’re trying to do in Paris is put in place a long-term framework for further emissions reductions -- targets set by each nation, but transparent enough to be verified by other nations,” Obama said.

“And we’ll work to mobilise support to help the most vulnerable countries expand clean energy and adapt to the effects of climate change we can no longer avoid,” said the US president.