At the second in-person Quad summit in Japan’s Tokyo on Tuesday, the four Quad leaders launched a maritime security initiative and the Quad fellowship program, apart from discussing Covid-19, the climate crisis and the war in Ukraine.
The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, colloquially the Quad, is a strategic security dialogue between India, Australia, Japan, and the United States.
The second in-person Quad Summit begins in Tokyo. pic.twitter.com/oLQFxplJsj
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) May 24, 2022
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Here’s all that happened at the crucial summit on Tuesday:
MARITIME SECURITY INITIATIVE
The Quad leaders welcomed a new maritime initiative, the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA). This initiative seeks to offer a near-real-time, integrated, and cost-effective maritime domain awareness picture to enable monitoring of the seas.
This will allow tracking of “dark shipping” and other tactical-level activities as well as improve partners’ ability to respond to climate and humanitarian events, as per an official statement.
QUAD FELLOWSHIP
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Australian PM Anthony Albanese and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida launched the Quad Fellowship, as per which 100 students from the four countries will be sponsored to study in the US in science, tech, engineering and math fields every year.
“I encourage our students to apply for the Quad Fellowship program and join the next generation of STEM leaders and innovators building a better future for humanity,” PM Narendra Modi said.
ON COVID-19
The Quad leaders repeated their commitment to bolstering global health security in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The countries will continue to provide Covid vaccines to other parts of the world. The Biological E facility in India is a major contributor to this initiative.
The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and EXIM India have decided to support a $100 million facility to bolster the Indian health care sector.
ON CLIMATE CRISIS
The Quad leaders plan to further their efforts on green shipping, energy supply chains, disaster risk reduction and the exchange of climate information services.
Through the Quad Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Mechanism, Quad partners will be able to coordinate and mobilize civilian-led disaster assistance efforts to respond to disasters in the Indo-Pacific.
QUAD INVESTORS’ NETWORK
A Quad Investors Network, an independent consortium of investors that seeks to advance access to capital for critical and emerging technologies within and across the Quad, was launched on Tuesday.
WHAT PM MODI SAID
In his opening remarks at the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Quad’s efforts are encouraging a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. He said mutual trust and determination are giving new hope to democratic principles, adding that Quad has gained world prominence.
“Quad has made an important place for itself before the world in such a short span of time. Today, Quad’s scope has become extensive, its form effective. Our mutual trust and our determination are giving new energy and enthusiasm to democratic powers,” PM Modi said. READ FULL REPORT
WHAT US PREZ BIDEN SAID
US President Joe Biden’s opening remarks at the second in-person Quad summit in Japan’s Tokyo laid emphasis on the Russia-Ukraine war and the world’s response to the same.
“We are navigating a dark hour in our shared history – Russia’s war on Ukraine. It is a humanitarian catastrophe that is more than just a European issue, it’s a global issue. [Russian President] Putin is trying to obliterate Ukrainian culture. He’s not just hitting military targets – they are targeting every school, every church. The world has to deal with this,” he said. READ FULL REPORT
WHAT AUSTRALIA PM ALBANESE SAID
Newly elected Australian PM Albanese said at the summit, “We will bring more resources and energies to securing our region as we enter a new and more complex phase in the Pacific strategic environment. We’ll continue to stand with you, our like-minded friends and collectively stand for each other.”
WHAT JAPANESE PM KISHIDA SAID
In his opening remarks, Japanese PM Kishida said, “We should listen carefully to voices of the countries in the ASEAN, South Asia as well as the Pacific Island countries, so as to further advance cooperation, conducive to solving urgent issues facing the vision ( for Indo Pacific Region)”.
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