New Delhi: The heads of Quad members Australia, India, Japan and the United States took out a joint statement calling for their commitment to their partnership and building a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The statement which has been released during their first in-person summit held in the United States of America.
It covers many important issues including climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Quad also reiterated its commitment to Afghanistan and said that counter-terrorism activities would be encouraged.
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Highlights of the Joint Statement
- The Quad members have said they are committed to promoting a “free, open, rules-based order” in the Indo-Pacific. In his statement, he also said, “We stand for the rule of law, freedom of navigation and overflight, peaceful resolution of disputes, democratic values and the territorial integrity of the states.”
- The current situation in Afghanistan was addressed in their statement and the Quad have said they will coordinate and support diplomatically. He has also assured that ‘will deepen counter-terrorism and humanitarian cooperation in the coming months’.
- They also reiterated their support to ASEAN countries, “We reaffirm our strong support for the unity and centrality of ASEAN and for ASEAN’s vision on the Indo-Pacific, and we look forward to working with ASEAN and its member states.” Underline your dedication.
- Quad also addressed the COVID-19 pandemic and said that through their ‘Quad Vaccine Expert Group’ they have been able to mitigate the pandemic diplomatically. He has also said that additional vaccine doses will also be produced by India later this year. “Thanks to the Quad Vaccine Partnership’s funding for increased manufacturing capacity at Biological E Ltd, additional production in India will go online later this year,” the joint statement said.
- Members have also written about strengthening their science and technology (S&T) cooperation, especially in the area of ’diagnostic testing and genomic surveillance’, to further intensify efforts to end the pandemic. .
- The Quad has also addressed the climate crisis and said countries would work together to keep the Paris-aligned temperature range within reach. He has said that efforts will be made to limit the temperature to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and will also be updated about the ambitious NDC by COP26. They also reaffirmed their goal of achieving global net-zero emissions by 2050.
- Member countries have also decided to jointly combat cyber threats. In the statement, he said, “We begin new cooperation in cyberspace and pledge to work together to combat cyber threats, promote resilience and secure our critical infrastructure.”
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