QUAD summit cancelled, PM Modi to still meet counterpart Albanese in Sydney

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be embarking on a state visit to Australia on May 23 this year to hold bilateral discussions with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese. He will also be delivering an address at an event of the Indian diaspora in Sydney. 

The confirmation of his visit comes shortly after the country scrapped this year's edition of the Quad summit. “The Quad leaders' meeting will not be going ahead in Sydney next week,” Albanese announced in the New South Wales town of Tweed Heads, according to the Associated Press. 

#BREAKING | Despite cancellation of Quad meeting, PM Modi to go ahead with Australia visit. PM will address Indian diaspora in Australia on May 23.#PMModi #Australia #AnthonyAlbanese
https://t.co/6CjsNJaatY pic.twitter.com/VUSCH9Fl3K

— Republic (@republic) May 17, 2023

Quad Leaders Summit Cancelled

The summit, which was slated to take place next week, was called off abruptly on Tuesday when US President Joe Biden said that he will be unable to attend due to domestic issues to deal with. 

Biden said that he will be pushing his Australia trip to a later date as debt ceiling talks with Republican congressional leaders intensify ahead of the June 1 deadline, when the US is expected to default on its debt for the first time in history. 
 
"Because that has to be solved prior to 1 June — otherwise there are quite drastic consequences for the US economy, which will flow on to the global economy — he understandably has had to make that decision," Albanese said of Biden's cancellation. 

Nonetheless, PM Modi will still be heading to the land down under. He is also scheduled to visit the Japanese city of Hiroshima between May 19 and 21 for the G7 summit. But the prime minister's tour does not end here. He will then be travelling to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea to host the third Summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC III Summit) along with Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea James Marape on May 22.