Quad leaders summit moves from India to US, new venue for key meeting

PTC News Desk: The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) leaders summit, initially scheduled to be hosted by India, will now be held in the United States. The White House announced on Friday that President Joe Biden will host the summit in Wilmington, Delaware, on September 21.

Wilmington, Delaware, is President Biden’s hometown and will serve as the venue for this significant meeting. This summit will mark the fourth in-person gathering of the Quad leaders, comprising India, Australia, Japan, and the United States. Traditionally, the annual summit rotates among the member countries. Although it was India’s turn to host this year, the venue has been switched with the US.

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Next year, India will have the opportunity to host the summit. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized that this will be President Biden’s first occasion hosting foreign leaders at his Wilmington residence. This move reflects Biden’s strong personal connections with the Quad leaders and underscores the significance of the Quad partnership to all participating nations.

President Biden will welcome Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan. The Biden-Harris Administration has prioritised elevating and institutionalising the Quad, starting with the inaugural Quad Leaders Summit held at the White House in 2021, followed by annual summits thereafter. In recent years, Quad Foreign Ministers have convened eight times, and the governments involved continue to engage and coordinate at various levels.

The upcoming Quad Leaders Summit will aim to strengthen strategic alignment among the member countries. The agenda will focus on advancing a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region and delivering tangible benefits in several key areas. These include health security, disaster response, maritime security, high-quality infrastructure, critical and emerging technologies, climate and clean energy, and cybersecurity.

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