Quad Summit: PM Modi holds bilateral meeting with Australian PM Anthony Albanese in Wilmington

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese held a bilateral meeting in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday (local time) on the sidelines of the Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) Leaders’ Summit 2024.

The two leadersreaffirmed their commitment to further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for mutual benefit as well as for the peace, stability, and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region.

“PM Narendra Modi met PM Anthony Albanese of Australia today in Wilmington, Delaware. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for mutual benefit as well as for the peace, stability, and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region,” the MEA said on X.

Australian PM Anthony Albanese said it was great to talk with PM Modi and discuss ways to strengthen India-Australia partnership.

“Great to talk with Prime Minister Narendra Modi today at the Quad Leaders Summit about ways to strengthen our partnership,” PM Albanese said on X.

This was the sixth edition of the Quad Leaders’ Summit, a ‘farewell’ summit for both US President Joe Biden and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida before they step down from their respective offices.

Quad is a diplomatic partnership between four countries–Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. US President Joe Biden is the host of the fourth in-person and sixth overall Quad Leaders’ Summit in Delaware.

As President Biden hosted a quadrilateral meeting on Saturday with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, he also announced a series of initiatives to deliver a real positive impact for the Indo-Pacific, including providing new maritime technologies to Quad partners.

In his opening remarks at the Quad Leaders’ summit, Albanese stated that the Quad security grouping is about practical and meaningful outcomes in strategic areas and emphasised the need to work for continued peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

“It is absolutely delightful to be here. I thank you, Mr President, for hosting us in your home state, home school and giving us an insight into what made you such an extraordinary world leader,” PM Albanese said in his opening remarks.

“It’s fantastic to be with Prime Minister Kishida; we met earlier… Prime Minister Modi would be hosting us the next year and I look forward to that as well,” he added.

PM Albanese further said that Quad is about practical, meaningful outcomes in strategic areas such as clean energy, critical and emerging technologies and counter-terrorism.