Infra and maritime security top agenda at virtual Quad meeting

THURSDAY’S MEETING WAS A FOLLOW-UP TO THE MEETING OF FOREIGN MINISTERS ON FEBRUARY 18

NEW DELHI: Senior officials of the four members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad on Thursday discussed ways to take forward cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, maritime security and humanitarian aid in order to ensure a free and open Indo-pacific.

The virtual meeting of officials from India, Australia, Japan and the US also reviewed progress in key areas such as the Quad vaccine partnership, critical and emerging technologies and climate change. During the grouping’s first summit in March, the Quad decided to set up working groups focused on these three areas.

Thursday’s meeting was a follow-up to the meeting of foreign ministers on February 18 and the virtual Quad leaders summit on March 12. The external affairs ministry said the officials discussed the wide-ranging impact of Covid-19 in the Indo-pacific and the importance of collaborative efforts to contain the pandemic and ensure health security and a quick economic recovery. The officials explored the possibility of collaboration in resilient supply chains, emerging and critical technologies, maritime security, cyber security, counter-terrorism, infrastructure and connectivity, higher education, climate change and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, the ministry added.

Japan’s foreign ministry said in a readout that the officials concurred on advancing practical cooperation on these issues to achieve a free and open Indo-pacific. The officials also exchanged views on regional issues such as the situation in North Korea, the East and South China Seas and Myanmar.

A statement from the US state department said the “four democracies acknowledged that global security and prosperity depends on the region remaining inclusive, resilient, and healthy”.

The officials also examined ways to advance cooperation such as strategic challenges confronting the region, countering disinformation, promoting democracy and human rights, strengthening international institutions such as the UN and related bodies, and “supporting countries vulnerable to coercive actions in the Indo-pacific”, the US statement added.

The Quad vaccine partnership was created to manufacture vaccines developed by the US in India with funding from the American and Japanese development banks. These jabs were to be distributed among developing countries across the Indo-pacific with Australia’s logistics chain.

During the meeting, the officials welcomed the fact that a free and open Indo-pacific as a “vision for the peace and prosperity of the region and its importance in the post-covid world is increasing”, the readout from Japan’s foreign ministry said.