New Delhi (NVI) Senior officials from the QUAD grouping of nations– India, Australia, Japan and the United States — today held a virtual conference and exchanged views on regional, global issues of common interest while reaffirming their commitment towards a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.
Notably, the QUAD group had met in Tokyo on October 6 to ensure a free and inclusive Indo-Pacific, and counter the growing assertiveness of China in the region. Today’s meeting was a follow up on October’s Ministerial Meeting where the Indian side was represented by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs (India), Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade of Australia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and Department of State of the United States of America interacted through the video conference, MEA said.
They reaffirmed their commitment towards a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region based on shared values and principles and respect for international law especially the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea).
The officials exchanged views on regional and global issues of common interest, at today’s meeting, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. They also reviewed ongoing and proposed practical cooperation in the areas of connectivity and infrastructure development, and security issues, including counter-terrorism, cyber security, maritime security, humanitarian and disaster relief, with the objective of promoting peace, security, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, it said.
In the context of the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic, the officials underscored the importance of enhancing the resilience of supply chains for an expeditious and sustainable global economic recovery. They also highlighted the need to ensure safe, effective and affordable access to Covid-19 vaccines, MEA said.
In addition to this, the officials appreciated the Vietnamese chairmanship of the ASEAN and expressed satisfaction with the outcomes of the 15th East Asia Summit held in November this year. They reiterated their firm support for ASEAN-Centrality and ASEAN-led mechanisms particularly the leaders-led East Asia Summit, in the regional architecture for the Indo-Pacific, and their readiness to work with ASEAN and all other countries towards realizing a common and promising vision for the Indo-Pacific, MEA said.
-ARK
