Biden, Morrison, Modi, Suga for Quad Leaders Summit

U.S President Joe Biden will meet his Australian, Indian and Japanese counterparts in Washington next week for the first-ever Quad leaders summit.

In a statement issued by White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, the Summit will be held on Sept. 24 with prime ministers Scott Morrison of Australia, Narendra Modi of India and Yoshihide Suga of Japan, physically attending.

This group of four, also known as Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, was formed in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and formalized in 2007.

“The Quad Leaders will be focused on deepening our ties and advancing practical cooperation on areas such as combatting COVID-19, addressing the climate crisis, partnering on emerging technologies and cyberspace, and promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the statement read.

The Washington meeting “demonstrates the Biden-Harris Administration’s priority of engaging in the Indo-Pacific, including through new multilateral configurations to meet the challenges of the 21st century,” Psaki added.

The summit marks the first in-person meeting of the Quad leaders. Their last meeting, in March, was held in a virtual format.

In the past, representatives from the four countries have met at the foreign minister and working level.