The foreign ministers of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) issued a joint statement on Friday, reaffirming the Quad’s "steadfast" commitment to supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific "which is inclusive and resilient". Sovereignty and territorial integrity, and peaceful settlement of disputes were among other issues mentioned in the joint statement.

On the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting in New Delhi, the Quad meeting on Friday morning. Indian external minister S Jaishankar, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japan Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi and Australian minister Penny Wongan attended the key meet.

What the joint statement says

Focus on the Indo-Pacific region

"Our meeting today reaffirms the Quad’s steadfast commitment to supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive and resilient," the joint statement by foreign ministers of Australia, India and Japan and the US state secretary.

They "strongly supported 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".

The statement mentions that the ministers agreed to support the Indo-Pacific region through practical cooperation on contemporary challenges such as health security, climate change and the clean energy transition, critical and emerging technologies, infrastructure and connectivity, 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.

Veiledattack on China

Taking a veiled jibe at China, the foreign ministers expressed concerns over the attempts to politicise the working of the UNSC Sanctions Regimes and called on all states to maintain the transparent, objective and evidence-based working methods of UNSC Sanctions Committees.

The statement came as China, on many occasions, blocked India and the US' proposal to designate terrorists such as Abdul Rehman Makki, Abdul Rauf Azhar and Shahid Mahmood as global terrorists.

They further opposed "any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo or increase tensions" in the area (Indo-pacific, South and East China Seas).

Maritime challenges

The minister recognised that peace and security in the maritime domain "underpin the development and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific". They reiterated the importance of adherence to international law and "to meet challenges to the maritime rules-based order, including in the South and East China Seas".

They expressed concerns over the "militarisation of disputed features, the dangerous use of coast guard vessels and maritime militia, and efforts to disrupt other countries’ offshore resource exploitation activities".

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Counter-terrorism

Stressing the need for counter-terrorism tactics, the joint statement said, "We unequivocally condemn terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations. We denounce the use of terrorist proxies and emphasise the importance of denying any logistical, financial or military support to terrorist organizations which could be used to launch or plan terrorist attacks, including transnational and cross-border attacks."

The ministers reiterated their "condemnation of terrorist attacks, including 26/11 Mumbai, which claimed lives of citizens from all Quad countries, and Pathankot attacks".

"We are committed to working together with our regional and international partners to promote accountability for the perpetrators of such terrorist attacks, including through designations by the UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee," the statement read.

Quad condemns North Korea’s missile launches

Condemning North Korea’s destabilising ballistic missile launches, the Quad ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula"

In the statement, the ministers said Korea's move was "in violation of UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs), and therefore, urged the latter to comply with its obligations under UNSCRs.

"We reconfirm the necessity of immediate resolution of the abductions issue. We stress the importance of addressing the proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies related to North Korea in the region and beyond," the Quad ministers said.

On Ukraine war

The ministers underscored the need for a "comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter". They emphasised that the rules-based international order must respect sovereignty, territorial integrity, transparency and peaceful resolution of disputes.

Quad Humanitarian Assistance

The statement further notes the progress made under the Quad Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Partnership (HADR) for the Indo-Pacific region. "We look forward to the finalisation of the Partnership’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) which would enable an efficacious and coordinated response mechanism," they said.