New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the fourth QUAD leaders summit in Japan's Tokyo on May 24 and during the visit he is also scheduled to hold bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida and United States President Joe Biden, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed on Thursday. Speaking to reporters, EAM spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that the forthcoming Quad summit will provide an opportunity for the Quad leaders to exchange views about developments in the Indo-Pacific and contemporary global issues of mutual interest.
In Tokyo, PM Modi will have bilateral meeting with his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison. Interestingly, the QUAD Summit this year comes a day after general elections in Australia which is scheduled to take place on May 21, 2022.
According to reports, the leaders will deliberate on range of agendas including Russia-Ukraine war, Covid vaccination drive, the increasing presence of China in the Indo-Pacific Region and other issues of mutual interest.
Formed with Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, Quad was an event initiated by Donald Trump administration, which now Biden has elevated to the leadership level.
Biden, who will also travel to Japan for his second in-person Quad Summit, will hold bilateral meeting with PM Modi, US President's his national security advisor had informed on Wednesday.
"We believe that this summit will demonstrate both in substance and in vision that democracies can deliver and that these four nations working together will defend and uphold the principles of a free and open Indo-Pacific," news agency PTI quoted US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan telling reporters during the daily White House news conference.
PM Modi met Biden in September last year after the later won US Elections. The two leaders have also met virtually in March this year to discuss the Ukraine crisis.
Before arriving in Japan, Biden is scheduled to travel to South Korea for a summit meeting with its leaders.