Modi to go ahead with visit to Papua New Guinea, Australia despite Quad summit postponement

NEW DELHI: Although the Quad Leaders Summit has been postponed since President Biden will head back to the US for urgent Congressional meetings after attending the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is sticking to his earlier schedule.

After attending the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, he will head to Papua New Guinea and Australia for bilateral meetings.

Since President Biden has to head back to the US, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is likely to hold a bilateral meeting of all Quad leaders in Hiroshima (on the sidelines of the G7 Summit) as PM Modi, PM Kishida and President Biden will all be present there.

It is likely that they will arrive at a consensus for a later date for the Quad leaders Summit. Talks around fortifying their position in the Indo-Pacific are likely to be the core of the discussions, say sources.

Prime Minister Modi will head for the G7 Summit on May 19 and is expected to go to Papua New Guinea on May 21.

In Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, PM Modi will jointly host the 3rd Summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) with Prime Minister James Marape of Papua New Guinea on May 22. This will be the first ever visit of any Indian PM to the island nation.

FIPIC is a group of India and 14 Pacific Island countries which includes Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Samoa, Vanuatu, Niue, Federal States of Micronesia, Republic of Marshall Islands, Cook Islands, Palau, Nauru and Solomon Islands.

PM Modi will be in Sydney for a day on May 24 where he will have bilateral meetings with PM Albanese. He is also expected to interact with the Indian business community and the diaspora.