PM Modi to attend QUAD summit in Japan next week

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Tokyo to attend the QUAD leaders' summit on May 24, where he will be accompanied by his counterparts from Japan and Australia as well as US President Joe Biden.

The visit was officially announced during a regular press briefing by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday.

"The summit in Tokyo is the fourth interaction of QUAD leaders since their first virtual meeting in March 2021 and of course the in-person summit in Washington last September and the virtual meeting in March this year," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi informed.

QUAD is a key multilateral alliance consisting of India, Japan, Australia, and the US to ensure a free, open, and, secure Indo-Pacific.

"The forthcoming QUAD summit provides an opportunity for the leaders to exchange views about developments in the Indo-Pacific region and contemporary global issues of mutual interest," he added.

During the summit, the leaders will review the progress of QUAD initiatives and working groups, identify new areas of cooperation and provide strategic guidance and vision for future collaborations, MEA further said.

During the course of his visit, PM Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterpart from Japan Fumio Kishida and US President Joe Biden.

"The meeting with PM Kishida will provide an opportunity for two leaders to carry forward their conversations from the 14th India-Japan annual summit which was held in March 2022 in New Delhi," Bagchi said.

The bilateral meeting of PM Modi with both Japanese PM Kishida and US President Biden respectively is expected to be held on May 24.

"The meeting (with US President Joe Biden) will mark the continuation of the regular dialogue having interacted most recently in virtual mode on 11th of April this year," Bagchi said.

"The two leaders are expected to review the India-US strategic partnership and follow up on discussions held during Prime Minister's bilateral meeting with President Biden last September. They will also exchange views on regional and global developments of shared interest," Bagchi added.

PM Modi is also expected to hold a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Australia during the summit. It is pertinent to mention that Australia is due to face elections on May 21.

"The two leaders, we would hope would look at reviewing the India-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership and exchange views on issues of both global and regional developments," Bagchi said.

The last meeting between Australian and Indian PMs was held virtually on March 21 following which India-Australia economic cooperation and trade agreement was signed on April 2.

During his visit to Japan, PM Modi will also participate in a business event with Japanese business leaders. He will also address and interact with the Indian community in Japan, MEA informed.