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India’s PM Modi to meet new Australian Prime Minister; will attend 23 meetings in 40 hours

Mr Modi had congratulated Albanese soon after he was declared winner of the Australian general elections.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida, and the new Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese at the QUAD summit in Tokyo on May 24.

Modi will have 23 engagements in around 40 hours of stay in Tokyo including meeting Albanese during the Quad summit on Tuesday.

Earlier, Mr Albanese had told The Australian that if he were to win it was his intention to go to the Quad leaders meeting to represent Australia which is taking place in Tokyo on 24th May.

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“I will visit the Quad and renew my acquaintance with (US) President (Joe) Biden but also meet, very importantly, with (Japanese) Prime Minister (Fumio) Kishida and (Indian Prime Minister) Narendra Modi who are important friends of Australia,” says Albanese.

Modi had congratulated Albanese soon after he was declared winner of the Australian general elections. He tweeted that he will soon hold a bilateral meeting with his Australian counterpart and is looking forward to “working towards further strengthening our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.”

In a statement ahead of his departure for Japan, Modi said:

“The newly-elected Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be joining the Quad Leaders’ Summit for the first time. I look forward to a bilateral meeting with him during which the multifaceted cooperation between India and Australia under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and regional and global issues of mutual interest will be discussed.”

Thanking Modi for his wishes, Albanese tweeted: “looking forward to our discussions at the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Tokyo.”

Australia’s High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell AO has tweeted that Albanese “is no stranger to India.”

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India’s Foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra had said in a statement that the summit is expected to focus on several issues including post-Covid economic recovery, climate action, sustainable infrastructure projects, building health security, and creating resilient supply chains. 

PM Scott Morrison and Indian PM Narendra Modi in Chat: Picture Source: @PIB
PM Scott Morrison and Indian PM Narendra Modi in Chat: Picture Source: @PIB

During PM Scott Morrison’s tenure, India and Australia signed key trade agreements to strengthen ties. Albanese has recently said that there will be some changes in Australia’s policy with reference to climate change. 

Quad is a strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States and will provide an opportunity to the leaders to discuss recent developments in the Indo-Pacific region.

Modi will also interact with more than 36 Japanese CEOs and hundreds of Indian diaspora members.  

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