Modi, Suga Meet Before Quad Talks in Washington

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Thursday (24/9), met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the first Quad (“Quadin Security Dialogue”) meeting in Washington.

During the meeting, Modi said that Japan is an important partner for India to realize a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ and that India will continue to work closely with Japan and other Quad members for the sake of regional security and peace, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The meeting comes a day before US President Joe Biden hosts a meeting with leaders from Japan, Australia and India on September 24.

Known as the “Quadin Security Dialogue,” representatives from the four member states have met regularly since its founding in 2007, after the countries provided assistance to Indonesia following the 2004 tsunami in Aceh.

The virtual meeting was held last March as Biden sought to work more closely with U.S. allies to counter Chinese forces in the region. [lt/uh]