Quad countries discuss maritime security, COVID-19 vaccines in virtual meeting

Days after the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) met to discuss maritime security, members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) came together, on Thursday, to deliberate upon the same.

With the shifting balance of power in the east, top officials representing Quad countries reiterated their support to a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” and asserted that its significance has increased in the post-COVID world, spreading to Europe. Other topics that were brought to the table included cybersecurity, counter-terrorism, higher education, climate change, emerging technologies and humanitarian aid.

Vaccine initiative 

Established in 2004, the Quad comprises four countries- India, Australia, the USA and Japan. Talking virtually about the ongoing COVID crisis and its impact on the Indo-Pacific region, the officials highlighted the need of co-coordinating on pandemic relief, ensuring health security and quick economic recovery. In this context, they also reviewed the progress of the Quad Vaccine initiative which aims at exacerbating vaccine production and ascertaining their equitable access.  Additionally, they reiterated their firm support for ASEAN centrality, ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and ASEAN-led mechanisms in the regional architecture.

“The officials also discussed issues of common interest and explored possibilities of collaboration in resilient supply chains, emerging and critical technologies, maritime security, cybersecurity, counter-terrorism, infrastructure and connectivity, higher education, climate change and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” the group said in a statement .

Last month, while replying to China's opposition to the grouping, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said that certain countries should get over the idea that other countries are doing things that are directed against them. "In a globalised world, India has interests that are far beyond its immediate neighbours. People need to get over ideas that somehow other countries doing things is directed against them. Countries do things that are in their interests for their good and the good of the word and that is exactly the case with the Quad," Jaishankar had said. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue is an informal strategic alliance that aims to safeguard the interests of democratic nations in the Indo-Pacific region. 

(Image: AP)