QUAD meet: Joe Biden wishes new Australian PM Anthony Albanese a good night; here's why

Anthony Albanese, Australia's new prime minister, was greeted warmly at his first QUAD summit, only one day after taking office. Albanese was sitting with international leaders just 24 hours after taking oath as Prime Minister, discussing climate change and the Indo-Pacific region's concerns. While the other world leaders wished the newly elected Australian PM good luck, US President Joe Biden wished Anthony Albanese a good night.

"You got sworn in, got on a plane and if you fall asleep while you're here, it's OK, because I don't know how you're doing it. It's really quite extraordinary -- just getting off the campaign trail as well," US President Joe Biden joked in his opening remarks, referring to Australia's Prime Minister.

Biden and Albanese are scheduled to hold separate bilateral talks following the QUAD summit. Albanese will also meet PM Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Congratulating  Albanese on his election victory, PM Narendra Modi said, "First of all, I congratulate (Australian) PM Anthony Albanese, and extend my best wishes for winning the elections. Your presence amongst us 24 hours after taking the oath reflects the strength of QUAD friendship and your commitment towards it."

Albanese says climate change is one of Summit's focal points

Climate change is one of the summit's focal points, according to Albanese.

"My government is committed to working with your countries. The new Australian government gives priority to taking action on climate change and building a more resilient Indo-Pacific region through economic, cyber, energy, health and environmental security," the Australian PM said as he began his speech at QUAD.

Furthermore, US President Biden told fellow Indo-Pacific leaders gathered for a four-country summit on May 24 that they were in the midst of "a dark hour in our shared history" as a result of Russia's brutal war on Ukraine, and urged the group to do more to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression. 

The White House has lavished praise on several Indo-Pacific nations, including Japan, Singapore, and South Korea, for stepping up to impose tough sanctions and export bans on Russia while also providing humanitarian and military assistance to Kyiv.

(With agency inputs, Image: AP)