Tokyo: Australia’s new prime minister Anthony Albanese got a warm welcome at his first Quad summit, a day after he took charge. Just 24 hours after taking oath, Albanese was sitting together with the world leaders, talking about climate change, and the challenges faced by the Indo-pacific region.
In his opening remarks, US president Joe Biden referred to the Australia leader in jest, and said: “You got sworn in, got on a plane and if you fall asleep while you’re here, it’s OK.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Albanese for his election win, and 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.”
For Albanese, climate change is one of the focus areas of the summit. “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,” he said as he began his address at Quad.
“We will act in recognition that climate change is the main economic and security challenge for the island nations of the Pacific. My government will set a new target to reduce emissions by 43 per cent by 2030 putting us on track for net-zero emissions by 2050.”
“We will bring more resources and energies to securing our region as we enter a new & more complex phase in the Pacific strategic environment. We’ll continue to stand with you, our like-minded friends and collectively stand for each other.”
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