Australia PM speaks in Gujarati, warns China against Russia-like actions, at summit with PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison held a virtual summit on March 21. Morrison began his remarks with a traditional greeting in Gujarati, then proceeded to congratulate PM Modi regarding BJP's recent election victories in 4 states.

Morrison said, "Kem Cho from Brisbane, Prime Minister Modi. I hope you celebrated a joyful Holi on Friday. I'm very glad to have this Virtual Meeting to drive our bilateral cooperation to new heights, but you are already ascending those new heights and I congratulate you on your five election victories in the, in the states recently, particularly in Goa. That must have been a tremendous result for you, and I congratulate you."

Morrison also took veiled jibes at China, stating that the Indo-Pacific region should be protected from events currently unfolding in Europe. He said, "While we are obviously distressed at the terrible situation in Europe, our focus, of course, is always very much on what is occurring in the Indo-Pacific and ensuring that those events could never occur here in the Indo-Pacific."

In his remarks, PM Modi expressed concern over floods in some parts of Australia, and spoke on Quad's role in ensuring a free and secure Indo-Pacific. He said, "There is also good cooperation between us in Quad. Our cooperation reflects our commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. Quad's success is very important for regional and global stability."

India, Australia, America, and Japan are part of the Quad, which is seen as a counterweight to China in the Indo-Pacific.

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