Quad vaccine initiative key for Indo-Pacific region to meet challenges: EAM Jaishankar

EAM Dr S Jaishankar on Friday in his opening remarks at the 4th Quad Foreign Ministers meeting said that the Quad Vaccine initiative has been crucial in the Indo-Pacific, for countries to meet their health challenges.

New Delhi:EAM Dr. S Jaishankar on Friday in his opening remarks at the 4th Quad Foreign Ministers meeting said that the Quad Vaccine initiative has been crucial in the Indo-Pacific, for countries to meet their health challenges. Jaishankar is currently on a two-day visit to Australia, for the first time as EAM, to attend the first Quad meet of this year.

In the meeting hosted by Australia, EAM Jaishankar said, "As the pandemic continues to impact us, we have undertaken collective efforts to address global health security. The Quad Vaccine initiative and our collective vaccine delivery, to which Marise, you referred to, have been very crucial in the Indo-Pacific, for countries to meet the challenges".

"There is ample scope to deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) and to work together to address global issues such as terrorism, cyber security, maritime security, and disinformation", Jaishankar added. The Quad Vaccine Partnership, announced in March 2021 by the Quad leaders aimed at delivering one billion doses of Quad vaccines to the Indo-Pacific region by the end of 2022. The Quad Partnership COVID-19 Dashboard was launched by Leaders at the September 2021 Summit to coordinate and monitor the collective assistance to the Indo-Pacific. Jaishankar added that there has been good progress under this initiative.

He reiterated that India continues to pursue an agile and multidimensional strategy towards Indo-Pacific through bilateral frameworks and also through cooperation with regional organizations such as the ASEAN. Jaishankar noted that the centrality of the ASEAN in the Indo-Pacific region is now recognized. It is heartening to see the enhanced focus on the Indo-Pacific by countries outside the region, he said.

"Since our last interaction in February of 2021, the geopolitical and geo-economic global scenario has become more complex. As leading democracies, we pursue our shared vision of upholding a rules-based international order, free from coercion- one based on respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, rule of law, transparency, freedom of navigation in the international seas, and peaceful resolution of disputes", Jaishankar pointed out.

Jaishankar noted that engagement under the Quad framework has been very useful. It has acquired salience and momentum with two Leaders’ Summits last year. "We have adopted an ambitious and constructive agenda that addresses many of the significant contemporary challenges of our times, especially in the Indo-Pacific region. And this was very evident in the positive vision of our leaders at the Summit and the aspirations that they articulated at that time", he said.

Earlier, QUAD Foreign Ministers met in October 2020 and 202 there were two QUAD meetings including one virtual and the other in-person summit that was hosted by Washington and attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. " We are keen to work together to further peace & stability & economic prosperity in the Indo-Pacific through collective efforts which address contemporary issues", he said.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the Quad meeting in Melbourne, EAM also met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and reiterated that the changing India-US relationship has been very defining. Both sides reviewed their bilateral cooperation and maintained that the strategic partnership between the two countries has deepened visibly.

The Quad known as the 'Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD) is an informal strategic forum comprising four nations, namely the United States of America (USA), India, Australia, and Japan. One of the primary objectives of the Quad is to work for a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.