India has announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in a virtual meeting of Quad leaders meeting today.
“Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will participate along with President of USA Joseph R. Biden, Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison, and Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida in a Quad Leaders’ virtual meeting on 3 March 2022,” Indian foreign ministry said in a statement.
“The Leaders will have an opportunity to continue their dialogue after the September 2021 Summit in Washington DC. They will exchange views and assessments about important developments in the Indo-Pacific,” it added.
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The four countries had earlier flagged an in-person meeting in Japan ‘in the near future’.
The last in-person Quad summit was held on 24 September last year and was hosted by Mr Biden in the White House.
“The Quad Leaders will also review ongoing efforts to implement the Leaders’ initiatives announced as part of the Quad’s contemporary and positive agenda,” India said.
ABC Defence Correspondent Andrew Greene said while India has not listed it on the agenda, Ukraine’s invasion will be a major talking point for Quad leaders tonight – and expect some discussion about New Delhi’s refusal so far to condemn President Putin’s actions.
India decided to abstain from voting in the UN General Assembly, where a resolution condemning the Russian attack on Ukraine was passed with a141 votes on Wednesday. India had also abstained from the voting in UN Security Council, a move against its Quad partners.
