Ajit Karn
Wednesday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that next week’s Quad leaders meeting in Sydney will not to go ahead because US President Joe Biden has canceled his trip to Australia. However, PM Modi will visit Sydney next week.
Albanese stated that the leaders of Australia, the United States, India, and Japan – the Quad grouping – would likely convene this weekend on the sidelines of the G7 in Japan, according to media.
Albanese reported that Biden informed him he was “disappointed” that he would not be able to visit Australia and that the Quad leaders would instead attempt to meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima.
“On Saturday and Sunday, President Biden, Prime Minister Kishida, Prime Minister Modi, and I will attend the G7 summit in Hiroshima. We are endeavoring to meet during that time, and I will have a bilateral conversation with President Biden,” he said at a press conference.
“At this time, we do not have a set date for this arrangement,” he added.
Albanese stated that it is still feasible for Prime Minister Modi and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida to visit Australia the following week.
“We are discussing today with the Quad leaders.” We’ll make additional pronouncements in this regard, but Prime Minister Modi would be most welcome here next week,” he said.
“We had very successful bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Kishida at the end of last year, just a few months ago, in Perth,” he added.
Albanese described the relationship with Japan as “extremely significant.” Additionally, he recalled receiving “the warmest of welcomes from Indian Prime Minister Modi in March.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will depart on a three-nation tour during which he will participate in the G-7 Summit in Japan and the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Australia, according to a Ministry of External Affairs press release.
From May 19 to 21, the Prime Minister will travel to Hiroshima, Japan, for the G-7 Summit under the Japanese Presidency. At the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, he is visiting Japan. In Papua New Guinea, Prime Minister Modi will participate in bilateral engagements, including meetings with Governor-General Sir Bob Dadae and Prime Minister James Marape.
The external affairs ministry announced that PM Modi will then visit Sydney from May 22 to 24 to participate in the Quad Leaders Summit. The Prime Minister will travel from Japan to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, where he will co-host the third Summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC III Summit) on May 22.
In an earlier interview with media, in response to a query about the Quad meeting, Australian Prime Minister Albanese stated, “No, only the US President’s visit has been postponed. Therefore, this will occur in the future. The following day, we will discuss the Quad meeting with our partners.
Albanese stated in an interview on media Sydney Breakfast with James Valentine that a meeting with a senior-level US representative was possible. According to him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Australia and has a bilateral agenda. The quadruple summit is scheduled for May 24.
Albanese responded affirmatively when asked if the meeting could still occur in Sydney with India and Japan, adding that it could also occur with a senior-level United States representative. Prime Minister Modi has an organized bilateral agenda, so I am confident that he will be present. And, of course, we have a significant and growing diaspora here in Australia, as well as upcoming events, including a large event at Kudos Arena on Tuesday night.”
In response to a query regarding a meeting between the four leaders of the Quad in Japan, Anthony Albanese stated, “Yes, he will attempt to convene a meeting given that all four leaders will be in Japan over the weekend. Therefore, we will engage in bilateral dialogue. However, we will hopefully find a time when the four of us can sit down together. We will have to organize the logistics of the Quad meeting in Sydney over the next day or so, in consultation with our partners in the United States, Japan, and India.
Albanese responded that he spoke with Biden before 6 a.m. today when asked when he learned that Biden had postponed his visit to Australia. He stated that they have a problem with the potential delay of the budget in their parliamentary procedure, which is similar to that of Congress and the Senate in the United States.
Albanese stated that the deadline for resolving the impasse regarding the debt ceiling is June 1, and Biden informed him that the week preceding June 1 will be “critical” and that he will postpone his trip to Australia. He stated that Biden has accepted his invitation for a state visit to the United States later this year. The Australian prime minister announced that he and Vice President Biden will meet in Hiroshima.
The White House announced earlier today that Vice President Joe Biden would not be traveling to Australia and Papua New Guinea as planned. Biden will attend this week’s Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Hiroshima, Japan.
“President Biden will return to the United States on Sunday, following the conclusion of the G7 summit, in order to confer with congressional leaders to ensure that action is taken to avert default by the deadline. The President informed Prime Minister Albanese of the postponement of his voyage to Australia earlier today. In addition, he extended an invitation to the Prime Minister for an official state visit at a time determined by the teams. The team of the President informed the team of the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, according to a statement by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
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The statement continued, “We look forward to finding additional avenues of engagement with Australia, the Quad, Papua New Guinea, and the leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum in the coming year.”
