Foreign Ministers from Quad nations, in their meeting in New Delhi on Friday, sought to intensify practical cooperation on contemporary challenges such as health security, climate change, clean energy transition, critical and emerging technologies and infrastructure and connectivity.

In the meeting chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the Foreign Minister of Japan Yoshimasa Hayashi and Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong, it was also decided to prioritise issues such as addressing the debt crisis through sustainable, transparent and fair lending and financing practices, space cooperation, cyber-security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), maritime security and counter-terrorism.

“We reiterate our conviction that the Quad, acting as a force for regional and global good, will be guided by the priorities of the Indo-Pacific region through its positive and constructive agenda,” according to a joint statement issued at the end of the meeting.

‘Explore co-operation’

The four leaders also announced the establishment of the Quad Working Group on Counter-Terrorism, which will explore co-operation 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,” the communique stated.

The Quad alliance, which was formed to foster co-operation between India, the US, Australia and Japan in the Indo-Pacific region, is also seen as an attempt by the four to counter China’s growing influence in the region.

“Our meeting today reaffirms the Quad’s steadfast commitment to supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive and resilient. We strongly support the principles of freedom, rule of law, sovereignty and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes without resorting to threat or use of force and freedom of navigation and overflight, and oppose any unilateral attempt to change the status quo, all of which are essential to the peace, stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region and beyond,” as per the statement.