Washington, DC [US]: The Quad Summit set to be hosted by US President Joe Biden for the first time in Delaware’s Wilmington will be more strategically aligned and relevant than ever before, said US National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby on Wednesday.
A robust agenda can be expected aimed at delivering concrete benefits to the people of the region, said Kirby ahead of mega summit.
Kirby, while addressing a press briefing, said that the President looks forward to showing them a place in a community that has shaped him as a public servant and the leader that he has become.
John Kirby said that Biden will meet Quad leaders–Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida individually and the four together in a larger plenary session where they will discuss expanding cooperation on various critically important issues.
Speaking about the upcoming Quad Summit set to be held on September 21, Kirby said, “This weekend as Karine noted in Wilmington, Delaware, the President will host the leaders of Japan, Australia and India for the 4th Annual Quad Leaders Summit. Over the last three-plus years, President Biden has made it a priority to invest in rebuilding our network of alliances and partnerships across the Indo-Pacific. And in the process of doing that, he has strengthened not only existing relationships, but he’s helped forge new ones altogether. So, think about AUKUS, for instance, or the trilateral Camp David Summit with Japan and South Korea or the first-ever US Japan Philippines Leader Summit in April, and of course, the Indo-Pacific Quad.”
He noted that US President Joe Biden elevated the Quad to the leader level in 2021 as he understood that four leading Indo-Pacific democracies that share priorities, mutual interests and strong bonds of friendship between the people would make the region safer and prosperous.
John Kirby said, “Back in 2021, President Biden elevated the Quad to the leader level for precisely those reasons. He understood that bringing four leading Indo-Pacific democracies which share priorities, mutual security interests, and strong bonds of friendship between our peoples would make for a safer and more prosperous region and quite frankly, a safer and more prosperous United States.”
“Now this particular Quad summit will be the first time we’ve hosted foreign leaders in Wilmington, President’s hometown, and he’s very excited about that about showing them a place in a community that shaped so much of the public servant and the leader that he became. It’s also a reflection of his belief that like politics, foreign policy is also personal and the President is enormously proud of the personal relationships that he has with each of these three leaders – Indian Prime Minister Modi. Japanese Prime Minister Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Albanese,” he added.
Kirby said that the US believes that Quad out of this summit will become more strategically aligned and relevant than ever before. He said, “The President will meet individually with each of them and then we’ll also gather together in a larger plenary session where they will discuss expanding cooperation across a range of critically important issues. We believe that you’ll see coming out of this summit that the Quad is more strategically aligned and more relevant than ever before.”
“I think you can expect a robust agenda aimed at delivering concrete benefits to the people of the region as they all identify priorities such as health, security, natural disaster response, maritime security, quality infrastructure, critical and emerging technologies, climate and clean energy, and cybersecurity. You’ll also see some announcements that demonstrate our intention to make sure that this special partnership the Quad endures and in fact thrives over the long term. We’ll have more details, of course to share on the specific deliverables as we get a little closer to the weekend,” he added.
PM Modi will be in the United States from September 21 to 23, during which he will take part in the Quad Summit and address the ‘Summit of the Future’ at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
PM Modi will take part in the fourth Quad Leaders’ Summit in Wilmington, Delaware. Following the request of the US side to host the Quad Summit this year, India has agreed to host the next Quad Summit in 2025.
At the Quad Summit, the leaders will review the progress achieved by the Quad over the last one year and set the agenda for the year ahead to assist the countries of the Indo-Pacific region in meeting their development goals and aspirations, a Ministry of External Affairs release said.
PM Modi will address ‘Summit of the Future’ at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 23. The theme of the Summit is ‘Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow’.