The Quad Foreign Ministers made this pledge in a joint statement marking the 20th anniversary of “Quad cooperation”.It will be recalled that India, the US, Australia and Japan first came together some twenty years ago in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami to provide aid, and this group eventually solidified into what is known as the Quad.
Quad foreign ministers mark 20 years of diplomatic engagement saying they stand with a vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. They reiterate endorsement to centrality of ASEAN and Pacific’s led architectures in Pacific region. The statement gains added relevance as Prime Minister Modi’s government bolsters the quadrilateral coalition ahead of the Quad summit in India in 2025 due to rising Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific.
India and other Quad member nations on Tuesday reaffirmed their intention to promote and preserving the free, open and peaceful Indo-Pacific region in response to China’s aggression.
The Quad Foreign Ministers made the pledge in a joint statement marking the 20 years of Quad cooperation. India, the United States, Australia, and Japan came together 20 years ago to provide help in wake of 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, and the members have framed that cooperation into what is now known as Quad.
Within the past few years, the Quad has launched several cooperation activities to meet some of the current needs and development problems of the Indo-Pacific region in the fields of maritime security, infrastructure and connectivity. The next Quad Summit is expected to occur in the second half of the year 2025 for which India has been planned to host.
The joint statement says, “As four partners we have a vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific that is: peaceful, stable and prosperous, and with effective regional institutions at its core.”
They also discussed the ASEAN as a core component of the ten-nation region of southeast Asian nations in the Indo-Pacific. “We reiterate our strong commitment to ASEAN centrality and cohesion besides mainstreaming and expunging the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific region”
ASEAN – The key Player in the Indo-Pacific Region
ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP)
Also read about AOIP: https://asean.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ASEAN-Outlook-on-the-Indo-Pacific_FINAL_22062019.pdf
Independently, we support Pacific-led regionalism primarily in the framework of the Pacific Islands Forum. We are also consistently loyal to the Indian Ocean Rim Association, which is the leading organisation in the region,” the statement said.
Read About IORA: https://www.iora.int/indian-ocean-rim-association
It stated that the Quad countries would cooperate and with partners throughout the Indo-Pacific to solve intricate problems —starting from climate change, cancer, and pandemics right up to quality infrastructure, counterterrorism, critical and emerging technologies, cyber security and more.
We acknowledge Pacific ownership of regional architecture starting with the PIF [Pacific Islands Forum]. We also remain fully committed to the Indian Ocean Rim Association, which is the premier regional grouping,” the statement added.
Read about PIF: https://forumsec.org/pacific-islands-forum
This joint statement is important for India given the country’s hosting of the next Quad summit in 2025
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar posted on X, as he said, “The idea of Quad started with the tsunami in the Indian Ocean. Today, the Quad is a bloc that helps to ensure stability, development and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.”
https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1873983405618090222/photo/1
While critics have been questioning the readiness of the incoming Trump administration to uphold and preserve the resultant cooperation and binding international relationships, minister of foreign affairs of India S Jaishankar is assured that Trump will again extend his support to Quad even in the second term of presidency. While China has intensified influence assertion in the region, successive presidents of the United States have supported Quad. Though the grouping was resumed in Trump’s presidency with the foreign ministers’ level meeting, Biden has elevated the Quad up to the Summit level.
With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
© Copyright 2024. All Rights Reserved Powered by Vygr Media.
Author's Profile:
Manish Kumar pursued a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Amity University, Haryana. He is an enthusiastic and dedicated writer, who has worked with several ministries of the Government of India and contributed his voice to major campaigns and programmes. Being devoted to practicing significant journalism, Manish does his best to become a voice of change in society. Not only does he tell but also persuades, which is indicative of his strong conviction in the perspective of the media.
