NEW DELHI: The Quad Summit will take place in Hiroshima instead of Sydney. US President Joe Biden’s urgency to return to the US after the G7 Summit in Hiroshima has led to this change of plans. “The Quad Summit was to be held in Sydney.
The sudden change of plans has led to a change of the venue as all four Quad leaders – Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Biden, Australian PM Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida – will meet in a hotel in Hiroshima either on May 20 or 21. The next Quad Summit will be hosted by India,’’ said a source.
PM Modi will leave for Japan on May 19 to attend the G7 Summit as a guest member on the invitation of PM Kishida. This is India’s 10th invite to the G7 Summit. A bust of Mahatma Gandhi will be unveiled in Hiroshima by PM Modi.
Meanwhile in Japan, PM Modi is expected to address sessions at the G7 on subjects like peace, stability and prosperity of a sustainable planet, food, fertiliser and energy security among other issues. PM Modi is likely to have bilateral talks with other leaders of the G7 which includes British PM Rishi Sunak, French President Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Schloz.
“India’s participation at the G7 summit signals “increasing recognition” that New Delhi should be a part of any serious effort to resolve global challenges including those for peace, security, development and environmental preservation,’’ said Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra.
After attending the G7 Summit, PM Modi will leave for Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, where he will host the 3rd Summit of FIPIC, jointly with Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, James Marape, on May 22. He will also hold bilateral engagements in Papua New Guinea, including meetings with Governor-General Sir Bob Dadae and PM Marape.
Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) involves India and 14 Pacific Island Countries, namely, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia,Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Notably, Modi will be the first Indian PM to visit Papua New Guinea.
Indian PM Modi will also hold his first meeting with the New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins in Papua New Guinea. The Indian PM will then travel to Australia from May 22 to May 24 following an invitation from his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese in Sydney.
Change in venue
The Quad Summit was to be held in Sydney, Australia. However, the sudden change of plans has led to a change of the venue as all four Quad leaders – Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Biden, Australian PM Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida – will meet in a hotel in Hiroshima either on May 20 or 21