Everything You Need To Know About Fourth Quad Meet Between Foreign Ministers Of US, India, Australia, Japan

The fourth Quad Ministerial meeting took place in Melbourne on Friday (11 February). The foreign ministers of India, Australia, United States, Japan met and issued a joint statement after the meeting.

For the first time since the group was formed, the ministers called for justice for the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai (2008) and the Pathankot airbase attack (2016). The joint statement issued at the end of talks read:

“We call on all countries to ensure that territory under their control is not used to launch terror attacks and to expeditiously bring to justice the perpetrators of such attacks. We reiterate our condemnation of terrorist attacks in India, including 26/11 Mumbai and Pathankot attacks.”

They also informed that the Quad was already cooperating on sharing intelligence on threats in the Indo-Pacific region; and will step up the maritime security architecture in the region. In a reference to the Chinese expansionism and aggression in the South and East China seas, the statement reaffirmed the commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, “in which states strive to protect the interests of their people, free from coercion”.

The group also resolved to speed up the delivery of at least a billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to Indo-Pacific countries by the end of 2022 under the flagship Quad Vaccine initiative. These will be manufactured in India at Hyderabad’s Biological E facility.

As compared to the Indo-Pacific, less unity was observed among the members on the US-Russia tensions over Ukraine and the military coup in Myanmar. India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said during a press conference held after the meeting that while India is “troubled” by the situation in Myanmar post-coup, its thinking is guided by cross-border concerns. “Where we are concerned, we don’t follow a policy of national sanctions,” he added.

India's concerns include insurgencies, COVID infections, and a food-shortage fuelled humanitarian crisis, Jaishankar clarified when asked about the fresh US sanctions on Myanmar. On the other hand, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked the countries to stop arms trade with Myanmar. He also warned that “an invasion [by Russian troops] could begin at any time” with regards to the situation in Ukraine. All the members except India took a sharp line on the build up of Russian troops along the border with Ukraine in the recent weeks.

When asked about India’s stand, Jaishankar said that the Quad meeting was “focused on the Indo-Pacific.” He also held separate bilateral meetings with Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Zhao Lijan called the Quad "just a tool to contain China” and "a deliberate move to stoke confrontation and undermine international solidarity and cooperation", calling on the Quad countries to “abandon the outdated Cold War mentality”.

The ministers also said that a Quad summit between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo is expected to take place in the “first half of 2022”.

The Quad will also hold a special meet on climate change this year.