EAM Jaishankar meets Australian PM Albanese in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur, Oct 27 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar met Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the sidelines of 20th East Asia Summit (EAS) in Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

In a post on X, EAM Jaishankar wrote, "Nice to meet PM Anthony Albanese of Australia on the sidelines of 20th East Asia Summit."

Earlier in the day, Albanese called Quad an "important forum" and "important vehicle" for Australia, India, Japan and the United States to engage. While addressing a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, he expressed hope that the Quad leaders meeting will be held in the first quarter of 2026.

When asked about his view on the future of the Quad, Albanese responded, "The Quad is an important forum and an important vehicle for us to engage Australia, the United States, Japan and India. I'm hopeful that there will be a meeting in the first quarter, I would hope, of next year. Prime Minister Modi is due to host the Quad meeting. This is a busy summit season. President Trump has a busy period. He is travelling to Japan, but also having the meeting in Korea with President Xi. We welcome the fact that the leaders of the two largest economies in the world are having that direct engagement."

Quad brings together four countries - India, Australia, Japan, and the United States, with a commitment to work as a force for global good and to support a free and open Indo-Pacific that is prosperous and resilient.

The next Quad Leaders' Summit is due to be held in India. The US Secretary of State and the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India, and Japan met in Washington on July 1, 2025 for the 10th Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

The first Quad Leaders’ Summit was held in virtual format on March 12, 2021, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated along with leaders of Australia, Japan and the US. The second Quad Leaders’ Summit (first in-person) was held in Washington on September 24, 2021.

The third Quad Leaders’ Summit was held virtually on March 3, 2022. The fourth Quad Leaders’ Summit (second in-person) was hosted by Japan on May 24, 2022. The fifth Quad Leaders’ Summit (third in-person) was held in Japan's Hiroshima on May 20, 2023. The sixth Quad Leaders’ Summit (fourth in-person) was held in Wilmington, Delaware on September 21, 2024.

--IANS

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