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Amid Ukraine crisis, Quad leaders to hold virtual meeting today
The external affairs ministry said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders of the US, Australia and Japan will participate in the virtual meet
NEW DELHI: The leaders of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad, which groups India, Australia, Japan and the US, will hold a virtual summit on Thursday against the backdrop of the crisis in Ukraine and China’s continuing assertive actions across the Indo-Pacific.
The external affairs ministry said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will participate in the Quad Leaders’ virtual meeting.
The meeting will be an opportunity for the leaders to continue their dialogue after the Quad’s first in-person summit in Washington in September 2021, the ministry said.
“They will exchange views and assessments about important developments in the Indo-Pacific. The Quad Leaders will also review ongoing efforts to implement the Leaders’ initiatives announced as part of the Quad’s contemporary and positive agenda,” the ministry said without giving details.
The meeting was not previously scheduled. Japan is scheduled to host the next in-person summit of the Quad sometime in the first half of 2022. The four countries are yet to finalise a date for this meeting for a variety of scheduling reasons.
The external affairs ministry’s statement made no reference to the crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last month, though the issue is expected to figure in the upcoming summit. Australia, Japan and the US have all imposed sanctions on Russia for its actions in Ukraine.
India does not have a policy of sanctions and initially refrained from criticising Russia’s actions. The Indian government’s top priority has been the evacuation of thousands of Indians still stranded in conflict zones in eastern Ukraine. However, India has made a subtle shift in recent statements at the UN and called for respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.
India has abstained in all votes at the UN Security Council and General Assembly opposing Russia’s actions in Ukraine but it has also dropped its insistence that a solution to the crisis should account for the legitimate security interests of all countries.
