New Delhi: The foreign ministers of the Quad grouping of India, the US, Australia and Japan vowed Friday to work vigorously to achieve the group’s shared vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. They also said they will work collectively to deal with common threats such as terrorism.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Australia’s Marise Payn held the talks in Melbourne.
At a joint media briefing after the talks, Payne said the Quad foreign ministers reaffirmed their support to principles of openness, protection of national sovereignty and observance of rules and fair play, in remarks seen as a message to China.
Jaishankar said the interactions made it evident that robust bilateral relations between the Quad countries, their strategic convergences and shared democratic values have all combined to make the Quad a vibrant and substantial framework. “We are building an agenda which seeks to further our shared vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific,” Jaishankar said.
“We are keen to work together to further peace and stability and economic prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,” India’s foreign minister added.
Jaishankar said the meeting reviewed the Quad’s ongoing efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and agreed to expedite delivery of safe and affordable vaccines, support capacity building and augment infrastructure for last-mile delivery.
Ahead of their talks, Jaishankar, Blinken, Hayashi and Payne jointly called Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
“A long and productive day in Melbourne. Just finished the 4th Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Impressed by the progress we have made (sic),” Jaishankar said on Twitter.
In the meeting with the Quad foreign ministers, Morrison talked about the importance of the grouping in the context of current geopolitical developments.
“We live in a very fragile, fragmented and contested world, and that is no more accentuated than here in our Indo-Pacific, and the like-minded partners that we see gathered together in this Quad, I always find so incredibly reassuring,” Morrison he said.
The Australian prime minister said that he was reassured by the incredible support that Australia has received by its Quad partners, and that he did not mean it only in a security context.
“I mean that in terms of our economic partnership and cooperation. I mean that in our humanitarian partnership. I mean that in terms of how each of us stands for a world order that favours freedom, and particularly here in a free and open Indo-Pacific. And I want to thank you for all of that,” he said.
Australian Foreign Minister Payne said Thursday that the fourth meeting of the Quad foreign ministers would focus on coronavirus vaccine distribution, countering terrorism and cooperation in maritime security and climate change. That is exactly what happened.
