Quad meeting: Jaishankar underlines shared vision for free and open Indo-Pacific

During their fourth meeting in Melbourne, the foreign ministers of the four members of the Quad reviewed cooperation in several areas such as the Covid-19 response and maritime security, among others

NEW DELHI: India and its partners in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad on Friday reiterated their support for efforts aimed at ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific, and agreed to expedite the delivery of Covid-19 vaccines across the region.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken meets with Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar before the Quad meeting of foreign ministers in Melbourne on February 11, 2022. (REUTERS)

During their fourth meeting in Melbourne, the foreign ministers of the four members of the Quad – India, Australia, Japan and the US – reviewed cooperation in several key areas such as the Covid-19 response, maritime security and the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific, and prepared the ground for the next Quad Leaders’ Summit to be hosted by Tokyo in the first half of the year.

India’s external affairs minister S Jaishankar, Australian foreign minister Marise Payne, Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and US secretary of state Antony Blinken also met Autsralian Prime Minister Scott Morrison before their talks and discussed the realisation of the vision outlined by the Quad leaders.

Jaishankar told a joint news conference after the ministerial meeting that the foreign ministers held productive discussions. He said the robust bilateral relations between the Quad members, their strategic convergences and shared democratic values helped make the Quad a vibrant and substantial network with a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The Quad members agreed to expedite the delivery of Covid-19 vaccines and augment the last-mile delivery facilities, Jaishankar said. They will also work to uphold the rules-based trading system and continue their cooperation in counterterrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and maritime domain awareness, he said.

Jaishankar said the Quad members will continue to support their partners in Asean to uphold peace and security in the region, and also take steps to strengthen people-to-people linkages through education and think tank linkages.

Payne cautioned that the rules-based system that the Quad members are committed to is “under pressure from authoritarian regimes” – an apparent reference to China’s aggressive actions across the region. She said the Quad members will continue to support freedom of navigation and overflight across the Indo-Pacific.

Blinken explained that a free and open Indo-Pacific would mean that people will be free and live in open societies, countries will be able to choose their partners, and goods will flow freely. He also referred to “Russian aggression” in Ukraine and said such challenges to the rules-based world order could even have an impact on the Indo-Pacific.

The Quad members are working to produce one billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines, and to donate 1.2 billion shots across the region, Blinken said.