US President Joe Biden to participate in G7 and Quad meets in May

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden will attend the G7 Leaders' Summit in Hiroshima, Japan on May 19-21.

On May 24, President Biden will attend the third in-person Quad Leaders' Summit in Sydney, Australia, with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, hosted by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, The White House said in a Press Release.

US President Joe Biden will attend the G7 Leaders' Summit in Hiroshima, Japan on May 19-21.

The President and G7 leaders will discuss a range of the most pressing global issues, including the G7's unwavering support for Ukraine, addressing the dual food and climate crises, securing inclusive and resilient economic growth, and continuing to lead a clean energy transition at home and for our partners around the world, the release said.

On May 24, President Biden will attend the third in-person Quad Leaders' Summit in Sydney, Australia, with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, hosted by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia.

The Quad leaders will discuss how they can deepen their cooperation on critical and emerging technologies, high-quality infrastructure, global health, climate change, maritime domain awareness, and other issues that matter to the people of the Indo-Pacific.

Australia will host the Quad Leaders' Summit on May 24 in Sydney, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Twitter earlier on Wednesday.

"I'm pleased to announce that Australia will be hosting the Quad Leaders' Summit for the first time on May 24 in Sydney,' Anthony Albanese tweeted. Prime Minister Modi will be travelling to Australia in May to take part in the Quad leadership summit.

The announcement was made during the joint press conference hosted by Prime Minister Modi and his Australian counterpart in March when the latter was on a four-day visit to India.

"India and Australia are both members of the Quad. I thank PM Albanese for inviting me to Australia for the Quad Leaders' Summit in May. I have invited him to India for the G20 summit in September," PM Modi had said earlier.

The leaders of the Quad group have met on four occasions earlier and their next meeting will be held in Australia.

The group's importance in the region has increased due to its keen interest in sustainable and inclusive economic growth and increasing people-to-people connections between Quad members and non-Quad members.

Prime Minister Modi, on several occasions, has highlighted that the Quad is a force of global good and is aimed at developing the region while protecting the interests of all members of the Indo-Pacific region.

The Quad is a strategic forum comprising India, Japan, the US, and Australia. Its primary objective is to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence.