NEW DELHI: Hours after assuming office, the newly elected Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that his country will host the Quad Leadersโ Summit next year.
โToday I had the pleasure of meeting with PM Kishida @JPN_PMO , @POTUS and @narendramodi at the Quad Summit in Tokyo. We affirmed our shared commitment to the Quad, and to a free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific. I look forward to hosting Quad Leaders in Australia in 2023,โ PM Albanese, who is in Tokyo to attend the Quad Leadersโ Summit, tweeted from the venue.
Albaneseโs Labour party-led government, which has committed to a greater focus on South-East Asia, will appoint a Special Envoy for the region. It has also allocated AUD 470 million in additional foreign aid over the next four years.
โThis is in addition to our increasing assistance to the Pacific by over half a billion dollars, deepening our defence and maritime cooperation and using the power of proximity to strengthen our partnerships,โ PM Albanese said.
โWe will bring more energy and resources to securing our region as we enter a new and more complex phase in the Pacificโs strategic environment,โ he added.
During the Quad Leadersโ Summit on Tuesday, PM Albanese affirmed Australiaโs commitment to stand with like-minded
friends.
โWe will continue to stand up for each other. We will stand firm on our values and our beliefs, on what we know will enhance the prosperity and stability of our region, and what is firmly in the interests of all those who call the Indo-Pacific home,โ he further said.
