New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, during the Raisina dialogue on Wednesday, said that the world needs plurilateralism because multilateralism is not delivering the way it used to.
Addressing the virtual Raisina dialogue under the session on “Crimson Tide, Blue Geometries: New Partnership for the Indo-Pacific”, Jaishankar said, “There is a vacuum which has emerged, where multilateralism has fallen short, powers are not what they used to be, bilateral delivery is not what it used to be. So it requires countries which are comfortable with each other, who see merit in working with each other, and who will make the world a better place by working together, comes together”.
He was joined by Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
Jaishankar further said that Indo-Pacific is a return to history and it reflects the more contemporary world. “It is the overcoming of the cold war and not reinforcing it", he added.
“Indo-Pacific refers to a seamless world that was historically present in the form of Indian-Arab economic-trading ties and cultural influences from ASEAN nations like Vietnam and the east coast of China”, he reiterated.
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Pertinently, India, Australia, Japan and the United States form the Quad or Quadrilateral coalition which is aimed at ensuring a free and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.
The virtual trilateral meeting of the leaders of France, India and Australia, on the sidelines of the ongoing Raisina dialogue, focused on cooperation in the Indo-Pacific as well as in dealing with the adverse impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Emphasizing the coronavirus pandemic response and recovery efforts, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said that the developing nations across the Indo-Pacific are facing various challenges including the economic front given the pandemic.
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Earlier this year, the leaders of India, Australia, the United States and Japan held the first-ever summit-level talks virtually under the framework of Quad with an aim to strengthened cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region to counter growing Chinese hegemony in the region. During the meeting, the leaders discussed regional and global issues of shared interest and exchanged views on practical areas of cooperation towards maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.
The leaders very much discussed the ongoing efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and explore opportunities for collaboration in ensuring safe, equitable and affordable vaccines in the Indo-Pacific region.
Therefore, the ‘Quad’ holds immense significance in maintaining peace and security in the Indo-Pacific.
Most interestingly, French Foreign Minister Jean –Yves Le Drian who is on a three-day official visit to India, on Tuesday met EAM Jaishankar and pitched for France to join the Indo-Pacific Oceans initiative by India. The visiting minister also pushed for the EU-Indo Pacific strategy. Both the leaders explored ways to strengthen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, including the India-France-Australia Trilateral mechanism, addressing emerging challenges in the maritime and space domains and working together in the area of climate action and biodiversity protection. In this regard, India welcomed France’s decision to take up the "Maritime Resources” pillar of India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI).
During the Raisina Dialogue, the French Foreign Minister underlined the need for adopting a pragmatic approach in forging deeper cooperation among the three nations- India, Australia, France in the Indo-Pacific region. He also referred to continuing efforts in tackling the financing of terrorism.
