NEW DELHI: Hours after assuming office, the newly elected Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that his country will host the Quad Leaders’ Summit next year.
“Today 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,” PM Albanese, who is in Tokyo to attend the Quad Leaders’ Summit, tweeted from the venue.
Albanese’s 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.
“This 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,” PM Albanese said.
“We will bring more energy and resources to securing our region as we enter a new and more complex phase in the Pacific’s strategic environment,” he added.
During the Quad Leaders’ Summit on Tuesday, PM Albanese affirmed Australia’s commitment to stand with like-minded
friends.
“We 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,” he further said.