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Quad discusses Ukraine war, concrete steps in Indo-Pacific
A day after US President Joe Biden delivered the state of union address, the quad leaders got together to quietly discuss both the Ukraine crisis and the development in Indo-Pacific.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the virtual summit of Quad alliance with US president Joe Biden, Australian premier Scott Morrison and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida over the developments in Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific region. The Quad virtual summit reviewed the developments on the initiatives taken with respect to the alliance since the September 2021 summit. All the four leaders agreed on accelerating cooperation, with an objective to achieve concrete outcomes by the summit in Japan later this year, the joint statement read.
While the quad physical summit is expected after Australian general elections in may, the quad leaders came on same page on the two critical issues facing the democratic world.
The Quad leaders discussed the present situation in Ukraine. Prime Minister Modi called for the need to return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy.
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The prime minister also underlined that the Quad must remain focused on its core objective of promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. He called for concrete and practical forms of cooperation within the Quad, in areas like humanitarian and disaster relief, debt sustainability, supply chains, clean energy, connectivity, and capacity-building.
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The leaders also discussed other topical issues, including developments in ASEAN, the Indian Ocean region and the Pacific Islands. Prime Minister reiterated the importance of adhering to the UN Charter, international law and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The leaders agreed to stay in touch and to work towards an ambitious agenda for the forthcoming Leaders’ Summit in Japan.
