Quad leaders renew pledge for free, open Indo-Pacific

No direct condemnation of Russia in joint statement issued after meet

Leaders of the Quad grouping of the US, India, Japan and Australia on Monday renewed their “steadfast commitment to a free and open IndoPacific that is inclusive and resilient”, with an eye on China.

United States President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida and the new Australian PM Anthony Albanese who met in Tokyo also discussed the conflict in Ukraine and the ongoing tragic humanitarian crisis, and assessed its implications for the IndoPacific.

There was no direct condemnation of Russia in a joint statement issued later, probably due to Indian sensitivites on this score. However, there was some veiled advice “that all countries must seek peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law.”

President Biden and Japanese PM Kishida lambasted Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. The US President accused Russia of trying to obliterate Ukrainian culture and vowed to power the global response to the crisis as long as Russia continues the war.

In a veiled indication towards the role of China’s all-weather ally Pakistan, the Quad also denounced terrorism including cross-border terror while denouncing terror attacks including the Mumbai terror attacks of

2008 and the Pathankot terror attack of 2016.

Hailing the Quad as a force for good with a constructive agenda, Modi in his remarks pointed out that “in such a short time, Quad has assumed an important place on the world stage” and that the four nations’ “mutual trust, our determination, is giving new energy and enthusiasm to the democratic forces.”

He added, “In spite of the adverse circumstances of

Covid-19, we have increased coordination in many areas such as vaccinedelivery, climate action, supply chain resilience, disaster response and economic cooperation... This will further strengthen the image of the Quad as a ‘Force for Good’.”

Apart from discussions on Russia and China, the Quad partners took several important decisions on maritime information sharing, infrastructure, cyber-security, space cooperation and the Quad Covid vaccine initiatives.

The Quad officially launched the Quad Fellowship which will take 100 students from India, Japan and Australia to the United States each year to pursue graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

This was the fourth interaction of the Quad Leaders since their first virtual meeting in March last year, the in-person summit in Washington DC in September last and their virtual interaction earlier in March. Australia, which will host the summit next year, renewed its commitment to the Quad.