New Delhi/Hiroshima, May 20 (Agency) The leaders of Quad countries– Australia, India, Japan and the US – reaffirmed their steadfast commitment to support a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient, in a vision statement and a joint released after the summit meeting in Hiroshima today. The joint statement noted that the global strategic and economic environment is changing rapidly – with direct impacts on countries in the region. “We seek a region where no country dominates and no country is dominated – one where all countries are free from coercion, and can exercise their agency to determine their futures. Our four countries are united by this shared vision,” it said. On Ukraine the joint statement made no mention of Russia. It said: “We stand for adherence to international law, peaceful resolution of disputes and respect for principles of the UN Charter, including territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states. In this context, today we express our deep concern over the war raging in Ukraine and mourn its terrible and tragic humanitarian consequences.
We recognise its serious impacts on the global economic system including on food, fuel and energy security and critical supply chains. We will continue to render humanitarian assistance to Ukraine for its recovery. Conscious that ours must not be an era of war, we remain committed to dialogue and diplomacy. We support a comprehensive, just and lasting peace consistent with the UN Charter. In this context, we concur that the use, or threat of use, of nuclear weapons is serious and inadmissible.” On terrorism, it said: “We unequivocally condemn terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism. We are committed to international cooperation and will work with our regional partners in a comprehensive and sustained manner to strengthen capability to prevent, detect and respond to threats posed by terrorism and violent extremism, consistent with international law. We are committed to working together to promote accountability for the perpetrators of such terrorist attacks. We reiterate our condemnation of terrorist attacks, including the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai and in Pathankot, and our commitment to pursuing designations, as appropriate, by the UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee.
We will strengthen our cooperation through the new Working Group on Counterterrorism announced during the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in March 2023.” The Vision Statement outlined their vision for an Indo-Pacific region that is peaceful and prosperous, stable and secure, and respectful of sovereignty – free from intimidation and coercion, and where disputes are settled in accordance with international law, in an apparent pointing at China which has ignored the UNCLOS in seeking to dominate the South and East China Seas. “We will act together as a force for good to find common solutions for region-wide benefit. Recently, in our response to the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we joined together to expand safe, affordable and effective vaccine production and equitable access. The Indo-Pacific’s key challenges of health security, rapidly changing technology, the grave threat of climate change, and the strategic challenges facing the region, summon us to act with renewed purpose,” it said. The vision statement outlined four principles for the Indo-Pacific: “We are deeply invested in the future prosperity and stability of the Indo-Pacific, and are committed to bringing enduring benefit to the region by providing options that build resilience, open communication and economic growth. “We seek to maintain and strengthen stability in the Indo-Pacific where competition is managed responsibly, in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Charter, and we will work to strengthen and reform the multilateral system to ensure all nations, large and small, continue to have a voice. We seek to uphold the international order based on the rule of law.
“We acknowledge and respect the centrality, agency, and leadership of regional institutions, including ASEAN, the Pacific Islands Forum, and the Indian Ocean Rim Association, and will work in and alongside them to complement their efforts and advance our shared interests. “We will work transparently and in open dialogue to implement a practical agenda that delivers sustained economic and social value, is responsive to regional partners, and contributes to global priorities by advancing the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals, noting the transformational power of technology to help meet these goals.”