Quad Summit: PM Modi Holds Bilateral Talks with Australian PM Anthony Albanese in Wilmington

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese held a bilateral meeting on Saturday in Wilmington, Delaware, during the 2024 Quad Leaders’ Summit. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and Australia, emphasizing its importance for mutual benefit as well as for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

“PM Narendra Modi met PM Anthony Albanese of Australia today in Wilmington, Delaware. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for mutual benefit as well as for the peace, stability, and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region,” stated the Ministry of External Affairs in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

PM Albanese also expressed his satisfaction with the discussion, saying, “Great to talk with Prime Minister Narendra Modi today at the Quad Leaders Summit about ways to strengthen our partnership.”

This was the sixth edition of the Quad Leaders’ Summit, and it served as a ‘farewell’ summit for both U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida before they step down from office. The Quad is a diplomatic partnership involving four countries—Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. President Joe Biden hosted this fourth in-person and sixth overall Quad Summit in Delaware.

During the summit, President Biden announced several new initiatives aimed at delivering tangible benefits for the Indo-Pacific region, including the provision of new maritime technologies to Quad partners.

In his opening remarks, PM Albanese highlighted that the Quad is focused on achieving practical and meaningful outcomes in strategic areas, with a strong emphasis on maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. “It is an absolute pleasure to be here. Thank you, Mr. President, for hosting us in your home state, sharing insights into your leadership journey,” said Albanese. He also noted his previous meeting with PM Kishida and expressed anticipation for PM Modi’s hosting of the summit next year.

PM Albanese further emphasized that the Quad’s efforts are geared toward achieving meaningful results in areas such as clean energy, critical and emerging technologies, and counter-terrorism.