WASHINGTON: Top American lawmakers have welcomed the first bilateral meeting between Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the maiden in-person Quad summit hosted by the US President to enhance America's cooperation with its allies to ensure security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
"Glad to see that President Biden held a bilateral meeting with PM Modi to strengthen US India relations," Congressman Frank Pallone said.
"I'm also encouraged that the President held a meeting with Quad leaders from India, Japan and Australia to increase cooperation with our allies in the Indo-Pacific region," he said in a tweet. Biden on Friday held the first in-person bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi at the White House.
Hours later, he held the first-ever in-person Quad summit with Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
"The United States-India relationship is more important now than ever. With a rising China and the Taliban once again in control of Afghanistan, our partnership will bring greater stability and security to the Indo-Pacific," Congressman Mark Green said.
Congressman Ami Bera, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation, applauded Biden for convening the first-ever leader-level summit of the Quad countries.
"Today's successful summit is a testament to our collective, unwavering commitment to a free, open, and stable Indo-Pacific rooted in liberal values and international norms," he said.
"As demonstrated by the initiatives announced at today's summit in areas such as COVID-19 vaccine distribution and the creation of a STEM fellowship, the Quad will be a force multiplier in advancing security and economic prosperity for both the American people and our friends in Asia," Bera said.
The Quad is also well-positioned to address the myriad of shared challenges in the region, including pushing back on attempts to undermine a free and open Indo-Pacific, responding to COVID-19 and supporting inclusive economic recovery, responding to climate change, and shoring up vulnerabilities in cyberspace, he said.
As the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation, Bera said he is committed to strengthening the Quad and look forward to future areas of collaboration between like-minded countries.
The Quad is vital to advancing a free and open Indo Pacific, said Senator Jamie Risch, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Cooperation among the US, Japan, Australia, and India must continue to deepen in the years to come, he said.
Senator Bill Hagerty, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and former US Ambassador to Japan, welcomed the first in-person meeting of the leaders of the Quad nations.
"I prioritised strengthening the Quad when I served as US Ambassador to Japan in the Trump Administration, so I applaud President Biden, Prime Minister Suga, Prime Minister Modi, and Prime Minister Morrison for their continued commitment to expanding this critical strategic partnership," he said.
"I saw first-hand the potential of this alliance to counter the predatory behaviour of Communist China" diplomatically, economically, militarily" which should remain the Quad's core mission.
Preserving the free and open Indo-Pacific for the world rests at the feet of these four nations, and I am optimistic that today's first in-person meeting will advance this common goal," Hagerty said.