The Quadrilateral Foreign Ministers’ first mention of the Ukrainian war in a joint statement indicates that the grouping, which had previously focused mostly on China’s aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific, has now expanded to include Russia.
In an indirect allusion to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the foreign ministers of the Quad nations urged for enduring peace in that country on Friday. They also emphasised respect for territorial sovereignty and integrity.
The Quad Ministers, which included US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Foreign Ministers of Japan Yoshimasa Hayashi and Australia Penny Wong, met in New Delhi. They also discussed China’s aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific region as well as its attempts to prevent the UN from designating terrorists.
They agreed to set up a new working group on counter-terrorism and looked forward to a meeting in the US of the working group on maritime security.
A day after the G20 foreign ministers failed to reach consensus on an unified declaration due to disagreement from Russia and China about the mention of the Russia-Ukraine war, the Quad foreign ministers included a paragraph on the Ukrainian crisis for the first time in their joint statement.
When they last met in the US in September of last year, there was no mention of the war in Ukraine in their joint statement.
Joint statement by Quad Ministers :
“We continued to discuss our reactions to the war in Ukraine and the tremendous suffering it is inflicting, and concluded that the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible,” said the joint statement released on Friday. In line with international law, particularly the UN Charter, we emphasised the necessity of a thorough, just, and long-lasting peace in Ukraine. We emphasised the need for the rules-based, global order to preserve sovereignty, territorial integrity, openness, and peaceful conflict settlement.
They decided to form a “Quad Working Group on Counter-Terrorism”
The Ministers said, “We note with deep concern that terrorism has become increasingly diffuse, aided by terrorists’ adaptation to, and the use of emerging and evolving technologies such as unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and the internet, including social media platforms for recruitment and incitement to commit terrorist acts, as well as for the financing, planning, and preparation of terrorist activities. Also we welcome the focused discussions on these themes at the Quad Counter-Terrorism Policy Meeting and table top exercise hosted by Australia in October 2022.”
“We are pleased to announce the establishment of the Quad Working Group on Counter-Terrorism, which will explore cooperation amongst the Quad, and with Indo-Pacific partners, to counter new and emerging forms of terrorism, radicalisation to violence and violent extremism. We look forward to its first meeting in the United States in 2023 to continue our discussions on this global issue.”
Discussion also on Indian Ocean Rim Association :
Also, they made the decision to work more closely with the IORA. A coalition of 23 nations that includes Australia and India.
“We support regional institutions in the Pacific and are also further strengthening our cooperation with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). To address the region’s most pressing and important challenges. We welcome India’s leadership in finalising the IORA Outlook on the Indo-Pacific,” it said.