EAM Dr. S Jaishankar Attends Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting; Says Quad Is Working To Ensure Indo-Pacific Remains Free, Open, Secure & Prosperous

External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar has said that these are challenging times and whether it is stability, security, progress and prosperity, there is a need for trusted partners and international cooperation. External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar has said that these are challenging times and whether it is stability, security, progress and prosperity, there is a need for trusted partners and international cooperation. He said, the Quad is a great contemporary example of both. Briefing media in Tokyo after the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Dr. Jaishankar expressed satisfaction with how deeply and systemically Quad has now been embedded in the foreign policies. He said, today’s meeting will be hugely helpful in giving direction. 

The External Affairs Minister said, the leaders of the member nations have personally led the Quad’s growth. He said, an expansive agenda has been built up in the last few years. Dr. Jaishankar said, it is working from trusted telecom technology and undersea cable connectivity to humanitarian and disaster relief HADR, critical and emerging technologies, cyber and health security, climate action, infrastructure, capacity building and training, STEM education, maritime domain awareness and counter-terrorism. He said, there are 16 working groups and today the grouping agreed on more things to do. 

Dr. Jaishankar said that the member nations are looking at, how to advance Quad, how to resource it better and how to coordinate more closely. He said, Quad has made some important steps today in that direction. Dr. Jaishankar said, it is not a talk shop but a platform that generates practical outcomes. He said, the HADR conversations are reflected in understandings and SOPs between the Navies. He added that the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness initiative that came out of Quad today links information fusion centres. 

The External Affairs Minister said, the Open-RAN network is being deployed in Palau. A space-based climate warning system will be launched soon in Mauritius. Off-grid solar projects are happening in Indo-Pacific islands. He said, during COVID-19, Quad cooperated to deliver vaccines to countries in this region. Dr. Jaishankar said, the first cohort of Quad STEM fellowships is passing out and the second one will also cover the ASEAN. He said, the overall message is that the four countries, all democratic polities, pluralistic societies and market economies, are working together for a free and open Indo-Pacific, for a rules-based order and global good. 

The External Affairs Minister said, that by itself is a powerful stabilizing factor in an uncertain and volatile world. He said, there is a strong interactive dynamic between the Quad and the respective bilateral or even trilateral relationships. Dr. Jaishankar said, progress on one front strengthens the other and thereby, enhances the value of the Quad. He said, the Grouping has also been able to engage together with some other countries in this region in furtherance of a shared agenda.

The Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting was held in Tokyo today. External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar along with his counterparts from Japan, the United States of America and Australia attended the meeting. In his opening remarks, Dr. Jaishankar said, these are not easy times, a major challenge is to ensure global economic growth while also de-risking it. He said, supply chains are a particular focus for resilience, just as we push for trusted and transparent digital partnerships. The External Affairs Minister said, the march of technology has also acquired extraordinary proportions, holding possibilities of the very manner in which people live, think and act. In a sense, the world is in the midst of re-globalisation. He said, it is only the collective endeavours that can prove the international system against man-made or natural disruptions. 

Dr. Jaishankar said, the nations have significant additional responsibilities as well. As political democracies, pluralistic societies and market economies, there is a key question of upholding a rules-based order. He said, it is only the collaboration of Quad that can ensure that the Indo-Pacific remains free, open, stable, secure and prosperous. The External Affairs Minister said, the commitment to doing global good that the member nations have undertaken has a resonance far beyond this region. He said, it is, therefore, essential that the political understanding strengthens, economic partnerships grow, technology collaborations expand and the people-to-people comfort intensifies. Dr. Jaishankar said, the meeting should send a clear message that the Quad is here to stay, here to do and here to grow.