Biden Congratulates Australian Prime Minister Albanese On Election - White House

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd May, 2022) US President Joe Biden on Sunday congratulated Australian Prime Minister-Designate Anthony Albanese on the election, the White House said.

"President Biden spoke with Australian Prime Minister-Designate Anthony Albanese to congratulate him on his election as Australia's 31st prime minister. President Biden reaffirmed the United States' steadfast commitment to the US-Australia alliance and his intent to work closely with the new government to make it stronger still," the White House said in a statement.

Biden also expressed his appreciation for Albanese's commitment to the alliance since the Australian leader decided to travel to Tokyo to attend the Quad Summit. The president called the decision a "vital opportunity to exchange views and continue to drive practical cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

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Albanese said during his victory speech on Saturday that he will attend the Quad Summit in Tokyo on Tuesday, adding that the meeting of Quad leaders is "an absolute priority for Australia."

Quad, formally known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is an informal strategic dialogue between the United States, Japan, Australia, and India. The format was initiated by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007 as an informal consultative mechanism of the four countries that share values of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The demand for the format has increased with the aggravation of contradictions between the United States and China.