World Quad committed to supporting Pacific Island countries: Joint statement The quad members reaffirmed consistent and unwavering support for ASEAN centrality and unity, and the ASEAN-led architecture- including the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum. FP Staff March 03, 2023 14:12:07 IST Quad leaders. Photo/twitter/ DrSJaishankar New Delhi: Amid growing conflicts with China in the Indo-Pacific region, Quad members (Australia, India, Japan and the US) on Friday committed to supporting Pacific Island countries. “We are committed to supporting Pacific Island countries in line with the objectives of the Pacific Islands Forum’s 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, guided by Pacific priorities of climate change, resilient infrastructure and maritime security,” read Quad leaders joint statement. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong today attended the Quad Foreign Ministers Meet, in Delhi on the sidelines of Raisina Dialogue, 2023. “We support regional institutions in the Pacific and are also further strengthening our cooperation with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), to address the region’s most pressing and important challenges. We welcome India’s leadership in finalising the IORA Outlook on the Indo-Pacific,” added the statement. In recent times there has been a shifting of goalposts by major world powers from other areas of conflict to the Indian and Pacific Oceans. This has largely been due to Chinese belligerence in the South China Sea by hegemonizing its intention over the entire seawater defying the laid down UN conventions and international maritime laws. Recognising that peace and security in the maritime domain underpins the development and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific, the Quad grouping of countries comprising of US, Japan, Australia and India issued a joint statement opposing any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo or increase tensions in the area. It also reaffirmed the Quad’s steadfast commitment to supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive and resilient. ”Our meeting today reaffirms the Quad’s steadfast commitment to supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive and resilient. We strongly support 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,” read the statement. The present geo-political situation in the Indo-Pacific is fraught with major irritants destabilising the region. There is a need to establish common standards to form the basis of deeper integration in the future and to ensure equal access to global commons for all countries as a right under international law. The quad members also recognized that peace and security in the maritime domain underpin the development and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific, and reiterated the importance of respect for sovereignty, consistent with international law. “We reiterate the importance of adherence to international law, as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to meet challenges to the maritime rules-based order, including in the South and East China Seas,” added the statement. They also strongly opposed any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo or increase tensions in the area. ”We express serious concern at the militarization of disputed features, the dangerous use of coast guard vessels and maritime militia, and efforts to disrupt other countries’ offshore resource exploitation activities,” added the statement. “We reiterate our conviction that the Quad, acting as a force for regional and global good, will be guided by the priorities of the Indo-Pacific region through its positive and constructive agenda,” it added. The quad members also reaffirmed consistent and unwavering support for ASEAN centrality and unity, and the ASEAN-led architecture- including the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . Updated Date: March 03, 2023 14:12:07 IST TAGS: China Quad Raisinadialogue2023.