New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden and other leaders of the Quad are expected to deliberate on a range of issues including the challenges and opportunities of the Indo-Pacific region at the summit in Tokyo on May 24. After Kovid-19, issues like bringing the economy back on track, health security, sustainable infrastructure and supply chain will also be discussed. Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra gave this information on Saturday. Modi will visit Japan on May 23 and 24 to attend the summit being held amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The foreign secretary said at a press conference on Modi’s visit to Japan that the world community and India’s partners have appreciated New Delhi’s stand on the conflict. and he has been insisting that dialogue is the best policy to resolve this. Kwatra said the Quad leaders are expected to deliberate on a vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific and take stock of the progress made so far under the alliance’s framework and guide the way forward.
Asked whether China’s aggressive stance in the region, including along the border with India, would also be discussed at the Quad summit, Kwatra said the “challenges and opportunities” in the Indo-Pacific region as per the agenda of the leaders’ consultations. ‘Hope to discuss. “Since the first summit, the Quad has been working to implement a positive and constructive agenda with a strong focus for peace, prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.
Apart from attending the Quad Summit, Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with US President Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Modi will also hold talks with the future Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, whose Labor Party is about to come to power. Modi will also hold talks with the Japanese business community and overseas Indians. Referring to the agenda of the Quad, the Foreign Secretary said that cooperation efforts under it also include working together towards climate action.
This includes creating a ‘decarbonized green shipping network’ in the Indo-Pacific region, using clean hydrogen and making it more accessible, as well as cooperation in climate monitoring and information-sharing for Indo-Pacific countries, he said. Kwatra said the infrastructure group of the Quad is deliberating on supporting sustainable and demand-driven infrastructure in the region, so that countries in the region are not burdened with debt.
The Quad is also organizing a special session on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly on 24 May to create awareness about the vaccine and combat misinformation about the pandemic. When asked whether the Quad has a security dimension, the foreign secretary did not give a direct answer but said it is important to understand the context of the grouping’s functioning.
Responding to a question, Kwatra said that there is no discussion on further expansion of the Quad. On Modi’s bilateral meeting with Biden, the foreign secretary said India-US relations are multifaceted and have gained momentum and have depth and diversity. The Foreign Secretary said that Modi will also meet Kishida. Kwatra said, “Japan is one of our most important partners. Modi referred to India-Japan relations as one of the most natural relations in the region. In the past few years, the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership has seen great momentum.
On Modi’s proposed bilateral meeting with his Australian counterpart, Kwatra referred to the general elections in Australia. “We understand that the next Australian Prime Minister is likely to attend the Quad Summit. It is expected that the Prime Minister will meet the new Australian Prime Minister in Tokyo.
