The virtual meeting of Indian officials, Australia, Japan and the United States also reviewed progress in key areas, such as the Association of Quad vaccines, critical and emerging technologies and climate change. During the first summit of grouping in March, the Quad decided to establish working groups focused on these three areas.
Senior officials of the four members of the Quad Safety Dialogue or Quad on Thursday discussed ways to adopt cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, maritime safety and humanitarian aid to guarantee a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The virtual meeting of Indian officials, Australia, Japan and the United States also reviewed progress in key areas, such as the Association of Quad vaccines, critical and emerging technologies and climate change. During the first summit of grouping in March, the Quad decided to establish working groups focused on these three areas.
The meeting on Thursday was a follow-up of the Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs on February 18 and the QUAD Leaders Virtual Summit on March 12. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said officials discussed the great impact of Covid-19 in the Indo-Pacific and the importance of collaborative efforts to contain the pandemic and guarantee health safety and rapid economic recovery.
Officials explored the possibility of collaboration in resilient supply chains, emerging and critical technologies, maritime security, cyber security, counterperrorism, infrastructure and connectivity, higher education, climate change and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, the ministry added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, said in a reading that the officials agreed with the progress of practical cooperation in these issues to achieve a free and open Indo-Pacific. Officials also exchanged views on regional issues, such as the situation in North Korea, the Seas of East and South China and Myanmar.
A statement from the US Department of State. UU said that “four democracies recognized that safety and global prosperity depends on the region remain inclusive, resistant and healthy”.
Officials also examined ways to promote cooperation, such as the strategic challenges facing the region, counteracting disinformation, the promotion of democracy and human rights, strengthening international institutions, such as UN agencies and those related, and ” Support countries Vulnerable to coercive actions in the Indo-Pacific “, the United States Declaration added.
The Association of Quad vaccines was created to manufacture vaccines developed by the US. UU in India with funds from US and Japanese development banks. These jabs would be distributed between developing countries through the Indo-Pacific with the Logistics Chain of Australia.
Quad members were looking to begin the distribution of vaccines from the second quarter of this year, but these plans suffered a setback after India was hit by a second wave of Covid-19 infections in March and all vaccine actions They were reused for the domestic vaccination program.
The Quad members now hope to obtain the initiative ending at the beginning of 2022, especially to counteract China, which has taken the initiative in the delivery of Jabs to South and Southeast Asian countries, either as donations or commercial supplies.
During the meeting, officials welcomed the fact that an indo-pacific free and open as “vision for peace and prosperity of the region and its importance in the world after Covid is increasing,” said the reading of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
This vision has been extended in the world community, including the Association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN) and Europe, and officials reaffirmed the importance of expanding cooperation with more countries due to their greatest achievement, read reading.
Officials reaffirmed their strong support for the ASEAN unit and centrality and regional architecture led by ASEAN, as well as total support for ASEAN’s Indo-Pacific policy.
The officials agreed to work to celebrate a summit in person by the end of this year, as well as the meeting of the Minister of Foreign Affairs at least once a year.
The meeting was united by Vani Rao, Joint Secretary (Americas) and Naveen Srivasta, Additional Secretary (East Asia) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Minister of Foreign Policy Masataka Okano and Deputy General Director (Asian Office and Office of Affairs of Oceania ) Kazuya Endo of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Justin Hayhurst, Deputy Secretary (Indo-Pacific Group) and Lauren Bain, Assistant Secretary (Subdivio of ASEAN and Regional Architecture), from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Australia, and Richard Bangan , from the Office of Eastern Affairs and Pacific and Dean Thompson, acting secretary of assistant (Asian and central affairs) of the US Department of State. UU