Quad is grouping of important friend, allies of US, says State Dept ahead of leader level meet

Washington [US], March 10 : The US on Tuesday (local-time) emphasised that the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is a grouping of important friends and allies of Washington that is predicated on shared interests, ahead of first-ever leader level meet scheduled on coming Friday.
Replying to a question on the vision of Quad, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said, "The Quad is a grouping with important friends and allies of the United States, and it's a grouping that is predicated on shared interests. There are many number of shared interests. Some of them involve maritime security, global health, climate. So I would hesitate to point to one animating challenge that the Quad is set to address today. We are engaging with the Quad to take on those collective shared interests that will be relevant in that setting."
President Joe Biden will be meeting virtually with his counterparts in the Quad -- Prime Minister (Yoshihide) Suga of Japan, Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi of India and Prime Minister (Scott) Morrison of Australia.
Regarding a question on Quad's first summit in the first 50 days of the administration, Price elaborated, "It was important for us to underline in the early days of this administration our commitment to the Indo-Pacific."
Underlining the importance of the Indo-Pacific region, Price said, "It's a region that holds tremendous promise for the United States, also a tremendous challenge. We see ourselves as a Pacific nation. We see ourselves as engaged in this region. We want to deepen that engagement, and this is an important forum with important partners with whom we share a good deal of interest."
The Quad has met regularly at the working and foreign ministers level, however, Friday will be the first time the quad is meeting at the leaders' level.