Prime Minister
PRIME MINISTER SCOTT MORRISON: Thank you very much. Well, thank you, President Biden for this wonderful initiative in bringing us together. My fellow prime ministers, it’s great to see you. Namaste, good morning, konnichiwa, and from Australia, g’day.
As we begin a new day here in Australia it’s not yet dawn, but we join together as Quad leaders of nations to welcome what I think will be will be a new dawn in the Indo-Pacific through our gathering. History teaches us that when nations engage together in a partnership of strategic trust, of common hope and shared values, much can be achieved.
When the world emerged from the Great War and our last global pandemic a century ago, it soon found a great depression and another global conflict, and it unleashed a poverty and a devastation that was unthinkable. As we emerge from this global pandemic, and the global recession, let us together create a different future. It is the Indo-Pacific that will now shape the destiny of our world in the 21st Century.
As four leaders of great liberal democracies in the Indo-Pacific, let our partnership be the enabler of peace, stability and prosperity and to do so inclusively with the many nations of our region. To share in their vision as expressed through ASEAN for an open, inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific. To respect and support their sovereignty, independence and security by upholding our values and supporting international law and to address the many challenges we face, from COVID to climate change.
Know friends, that Australia, while looking to our friends in all of these tasks, we never leave it to our friends. We’ll do our share of the heavy lifting to lighten the burden for us all.
I’m delighted to now hand over to my good friend Yoshi, Prime Minister Suga.