QUAD will work as a force for global good, help Indo-Pacific nations: PM Narendra Modi

Credit: ANI

Washington DC: In the first in-person meeting of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (September 24) hailed the group as a force for global good.

Addressing the meeting, Modi stressed that the QUAD initiative will help Indo-Pacific nations in facing all major global challenges from COVID to trade to security.

“Our Quad vaccine initiative will help Indo-Pacific nations. Quad decided to go ahead with a positive approach on basis of our shared democratic values. I'd be happy to discuss with my friends - be it supply chain, global security, climate action, COVID response or tech cooperation,” said PM Modi at the Quad Leaders' Summit.

“I express my gratitude to President Joe Biden for the first in-person Quad meeting. Four countries, for the first time, came together to help the Indo-pacific region after the 2004 Tsunami. Today when the world is battling with COVID-19, we being the Quad members are again came together in the interest of humanity,” he added.

#WATCH "The Quad- a force for global good," says Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the first in-person Quad Leaders' Summit at The White House pic.twitter.com/urFIhjhGCQ — ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2021

Modi along with his counterparts from Australia and Japan were hosted by US President Joe Biden at the White House.

Biden complimented Modi’s statement on cooperation in the manufacturing and distribution of COVID vaccines.

“Our vaccine initiative is on track to produce an additional 1 billion doses of vaccine in India to boost global supply,” said Biden.

Biden also announced a fellowship programme for the students of the QUAD member nations to pursue advanced degrees in the US.

“Today, we are also launching a new QUAD fellowship for students from each of our Quad countries to pursue advanced degrees in leading stem programs here in the United States, representing an investment in the leaders, innovators and pioneers of tomorrow,” said Biden.

Earlier, PM Modi held a bilateral meeting with Biden at the White House. Modi said that the two leaders discussed ways to strengthen the mutual cooperation between India and the US.

He said that he talked about working together to deal with global challenges like COVID-19 and climate change.

In a tweet, PM Modi wrote, “Had an outstanding meeting with @POTUS @JoeBiden. His leadership on critical global issues is commendable. We discussed how India and USA will further scale-up cooperation in different spheres and work together to overcome key challenges like COVID-19 and climate change.”

Had an outstanding meeting with @POTUS @JoeBiden. His leadership on critical global issues is commendable. We discussed how India and USA will further scale-up cooperation in different spheres and work together to overcome key challenges like COVID-19 and climate change. pic.twitter.com/nnSVE5OSdL

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 24, 2021

During the meet, Modi hailed Biden’s leadership and called for stronger ties between the two countries.

“Your leadership will certainly play an important role in how this decade is shaped. The seeds have been sown for an even stronger friendship between India and the US,” Modi told Biden.

Biden reciprocated Modi’s sentiment for closer ties. “Relationship between India and US, largest democracies in the world, is destined to be stronger, closer and tighter,” he said.

In the first meeting with Joe Biden since he became US President, Modi also hailed Mahatma Gandhi’s principle of trusteeship as a way to deal with the global challenges.