PM Modi reaches Japan to attend Quad meet. Know what’s on agenda

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Japan on a two-day visit where he will participate in an all-important Quad summit with the head of states of US, Australia and Japan in attendance.

Besides Modi, the Quad summit in Tokyo on May 24 will be attended by US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Australian prime minister-elect Anthony Albanese.

The Quad summit is aimed at further bolstering cooperation among the member nations of the influential grouping and discussing developments in the Indo-Pacific region.

“Landed in Tokyo. Will be taking part in various programmes during this visit including the Quad Summit, meeting fellow Quad leaders, interacting with Japanese business leaders and the vibrant Indian diaspora,” Modi tweeted in both Japanese and English.

The Quad or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue comprises India, the US, Japan and Australia.

What’s on PM Modi’s agenda?

Modi will have 23 engagements, including meetings with three world leaders during his 40-hour stay. During his stay, PM Modi will have business, diplomatic and community interactions. He will meet with some 36 Japanese CEOs and hundreds of Indian diaspora members.

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Modi tweeted before leaving for Japan, saying this summit will give an opportunity to the leaders of the four Quad countries to review the progress of Quad initiatives so far.

“We will also exchange views about developments in the Indo-Pacific region and global issues of mutual interest,” said Modi, whose visit to Japan is taking place under the shadow of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Talks with US on Ukraine crisis

PM Modi and US President Joe Biden will meet on Tuesday (May 24). They are likely to have a “constructive and straightforward” communication on the Ukraine crisis. A day before Biden left for Tokyo, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the meeting (between Modi and Biden) will be a continuation of the talk they have had earlier on the Russia-Ukraine war. “They will talk all of that through and this will be similarly constructive and straightforward,” Sullivan said.

PM Modi said India and US will continue dialogue on regional development and contemporary global issues.

Notably, India has shied away from directly criticising Russia but has been asking for an immediate stop on the war. India has also condemned civilian killlings in Ukraine. India is under pressure from the European countries and the US to take a firm stand against Russia.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said: “Our position on Ukraine is amply clear and has been reiterated many times. Right from the time when hostilities began in February, we asked for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the path of diplomacy and dialogue remains the best policy to move forward in this regard.”

Bilateral talks with Japan

Modi, who is visiting Tokyo at the invitation of his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida, will hold separate bilateral meetings with Biden, Kishida and Albanese on the sidelines of the summit.

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He had hosted Kishida for the 14th India-Japan Annual Summit in March 2022.

“During my visit to Tokyo, I look forward to continuing our conversation further, with an aim to strengthen the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership,” Modi said ahead of his visit.

He said economic cooperation between India and Japan is an important aspect of their Special Strategic and Global Partnership.

Noting that Japan is home to nearly 40,000 members of the Indian diaspora, who are an important anchor in India’s relations with Japan, Modi said he looks forward to interacting with them.

To meet new Australian PM

Modi also said that he is looking forward to a bilateral meeting with newly-elected Australian Prime Minister Albanese during which the multifaceted cooperation between the two countries under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and regional and global issues of mutual interest will be discussed.

 (With inputs from agencies)