PM to attend Quad summit in Australia on May 24

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join US President Joe Biden and his counterparts from Australia and Japan at a summit of the Quad leaders in Sydney on May 24 that is expected to focus on implications of the Ukraine conflict and the overall situation in the Indo-Pacific.

Before travelling to Australia, Modi is likely to visit the Japanese city of Hiroshima to attend the annual summit of the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies which is scheduled to take place from May 19 to 21, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

During his visit to India last month, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida invited Modi for the G7 summit.

In their summit, the Quad leaders are also expected to bolster overall cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, a region that has been witnessing growing Chinese military assertiveness.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Wednesday that he was looking forward to receiving the leaders of India, the US and Japan for the Quad summit in Sydney. In responding to a tweet by Albanese, Modi hoped that the summit will bolster efforts to ensure a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

"Thank you @AlboMP for hosting the next Quad Summit in Sydney which will bolster our efforts to ensure a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific," Modi said on Twitter.