Narendra Modi, Scott Morrison discuss bilateral cooperation between India and Australia ahead of Quad Summit
FirstpostPrime Ministers Narendra Modi and Scott Morrison agreed that India and Australia needed to work closer together to overcome the challenges in the post-pandemic world Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison here ahead of the first in-person Quad meeting to be hosted by US President Joe Biden and discussed a broad range of issues of bilateral, regional and global importance, including the Indo-Pacific. According to the MEA statement, in their meeting, Modi and Morrison reviewed the ongoing negotiations on a bilateral Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement and welcomed the visit to India by former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott as Morrison’s Special Trade Envoy for India, and noted the commitment of both sides to achieve an early harvest announcement on an interim agreement by December 2021. It was the first meeting between the prime ministers of India and Australia since the AUKUS security partnership was unveiled last week by US President Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Morrison. US President Biden is hosting the first in-person Quad summit at the White House on 24 September to be attended by Modi, Morrison and Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.