Joe Biden to come to Sydney for Australia’s first Quad Leaders’ Summit

By ERIN MODARO

Sydney will soon host an ultra-important meeting of world leaders, in the first Quad Leaders’ Summit to ever be held on Australia shores. US President Joe Biden will be coming in person to Australia for the meeting between the leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the United States on May 24.

The Quad is an important meeting of the four nation’s leaders to discuss diplomatic relations and promote stability in the Indo-Pacific region. 2023’s Quad will mark only the third time the four leaders have met in person.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he is “honoured” to be hosting the Quad’s first ever meeting in Australia.

Albanese and Biden will be joined by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida,

“Quad partners are deeply invested in the success of the Indo-Pacific. Leveraging our collective strengths helps Australia advance its interests and more effectively respond to the region’s needs,” Albanese said.

The world leaders will meet at the Sydney Opera House discuss how Quad countries can work alongside partners and region groupings, namely the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Pacific Islands Forum.

Topics discussed at the 2022 Quad summit held in Tokyo included peace and stability, COVID-19, climate, infrastructure, cybersecurity and space.

US President to address Australian Parliament

Albanese has also invited President Biden to address Australian Parliament- the first time a US president will have done so since Barack Obama delivered a speech in 2011.

While Biden is in Australia for the Quad summit he will speak to Parliament during his visit- although no official date for the address has yet to be set.

“The Quad is committed to supporting an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific that is respectful of sovereignty and ensures security and growth for all. I look forward to discussing with Quad Leaders how we – alongside important regional institutions, such as ASEAN, the Pacific Islands Forum, the Indian Ocean Rim Association and our regional partners – can shape the Indo-Pacific region we all want to live in,” Albanese said.