Jaishankar heads for Quad meet, expert says visit assumes 'great significance'

Talking to ETV Bharat's Chandrakala Choudhury, former diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar said, “The visit assumes great significance because the most important reason is Quad ministerial that will take place tomorrow in Melbourne," and adds, "All the countries are investing a lot of effort and energy as far as Quad is concerned."

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar has headed for Australia to attend the meeting of the foreign ministers of Quad (India, Australia, Japan, US) to be held tomorrow, 11 February in Melbourne and to take forward New Delhi’s growing ties with Manila. The meeting is expected to focus on Quad vaccine partnership, critical and emerging technologies besides ways to counter Chinese belligerence in the Indo-Pacific.

Sharing his view on the meeting, former diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar said, “The visit assumes great significance because the most important reason for the visit is for the Quad ministerial that will take place tomorrow in Melbourne.

All the countries are investing a lot of effort and energy as far as Quad is concerned. ‘Quad’ has been given a lot of importance and significance and I think, all the countries have gone along with it, whether it is Australia, India or Japan. Therefore, the significance of Quad continues to be there for all the countries because even in the time of the pandemic, all the three other foreign ministers are coming to Australia for an in-person meeting”, he added.

He underlined that the Foreign Ministers will be meeting at least once every year, which means the decisions at the summit are being taken very seriously.

“The next summit is likely to take place in Japan later this year and this quad meet will be preparing the way for it. But the most important discussion amongst all these would be a partnership on Covid -19 vaccines”, he added.

On being asked if the Ukraine crisis is expected to be discussed in the Quad meeting, Sajjanhar opined that although Secretary Blinken has said that he is going to brief the ministers, I don’t think, ‘there will be any substantive reference or discussions on Ukraine in the declaration because I don’t think, India will be able to go along with any critical or condemnatory references to Russia on that’.

The Quad will see the in-depth discussion as far as China’s influence in Taiwan is concerned, he added.

Meanwhile, China on Wednesday said that the Quad must stop driving differences between regional nations. China said, “It was opposed to ‘exclusive blocs’ to create bloc confrontation and the four-nation alliance should stop driving wedges regional countries”.

Commenting on China's perspective, Sajjanhar pointed out that China has been very ‘virulent’ in their criticism of the ‘quad’ that this is a bloc which is designed to divide nations rather than bring them together and cooperate while adding that “India and other countries reject the characterization of the ‘quad’ as a military bloc. There is nothing militaristic about it”.

This is the first time Quad Foreign Ministers are meeting since the two Quad Summits last year.

The Ministry of External Affairs said that Friday’s Quad meeting in Australia will see the leaders exchange views on regional strategic issues given their shared vision of a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.

“The Ministers will review ongoing Quad cooperation and build on the positive and constructive agenda announced by the Leaders at the two Summits in 2021, to address contemporary challenges such as the COVID pandemic, supply chains, critical technologies, climate change, infrastructure, etc,” the MEA said.

On Friday morning 11 Feb, Jaishankar will be visiting the University of Melbourne. Jaishankar and the Australian Foreign Minister will also co-chair the 12th Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue on 12 February 2022. The Ministers will review the progress of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and discuss bilateral, multilateral, and regional issues of mutual interest.

On the same day, EAM will co-chair the inaugural Foreign Ministers’ Cyber Framework Dialogue (FMCFD) with Australian Foreign Minister Ms. Marise Payne.

The Ministers will assess the progress made towards implementation of the India-Australia Framework Arrangement on Cyber and Cyber-Enabled Critical Technology Cooperation and the subsidiary Plan of Action which they signed in June 2020 on the sidelines of the Virtual Leaders’ Summit held between Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Meetings for EAM are also scheduled with Australian political leaders, academics, and businesses, as well as the Indian diaspora and students.

India's foreign minister would also be on a bilateral visit to the Philippines from 13-15 February 2022. This will be his first visit to the Philippines as External Affairs Minister.

Meanwhile, US State Secretary Antony Blinken has already arrived in Melbourne. Earlier today, he visited the University of Melbourne, where impressive lifesaving advancements in science are being developed. Taking to Twitter, he said, “ As we work together to defeat global health threats like COVID-19, I am glad to see our nations research and exchange ties bearing fruit”.

Further, bilateral agencies such as India’s Development Partnership Administration; Japan International Cooperation Agency; Japan Bank for International Cooperation US Development Finance Corporation; USAID, etc will be actively involved in the implementation of these initiatives.