PM Modi To Go Ahead With Australia Visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's engagements in Australia next week will remain unchanged except the summit of the Quad leaders in Sydney, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced cancelling the Quad summit after US President Joe Biden postponed his visit to Australia to focus on crucial debt-ceiling talks in Washington. 

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday announced Modi's three-nation tour beginning Friday that included his visit to Australia from May 22 to 24.

In the first leg of his trip, Modi will visit the Japanese city of Hiroshima from May 19 to 21 for the annual summit of the G7 advanced economies.

From Japan, Modi will travel to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea where he will host the third summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) on May 22 jointly with Prime Minister James Marape.

In the third and final leg of the trip, Modi will visit Sydney in Australia from May 22 to 24.

"The Quad leaders' summit in Sydney has been rescheduled. The prime minister's engagements in Australia, other than this event, remain unchanged," said a source.

The Quad leaders are set to meet on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Japan.

On Tuesday, Biden announced that he will postpone the Australia leg of his Asia trip, along with that of Papua New Guinea, given the uncertainty and intense negotiations with the opposition Republican party to ensure that America does not default on its debt for the first time in history.

During his visit to Australia, Modi will have a bilateral meeting with Albanese.

The prime minister will also interact with Australian CEOs and business leaders, and address the Indian diaspora at a community event in Sydney on May 23, the MEA said on Tuesday.

-With PTI Input