Four years since elevating the Quad to a leader-level format, the grouping is more strategically aligned than ever before and is a force for good that delivers real, positive, and enduring impact for the Indo-Pacific, a joint declaration by the four nations said on Sunday after the leaders’ summit in Delaware, United States.
“As four leading maritime democracies in the Indo-Pacific, we unequivocally stand for the maintenance of peace and stability across this dynamic region, as an indispensable element of global security and prosperity. Anchored by shared values, we seek to uphold the international order based on the rule of law,” the Wilmington Declaration by the nations read. Wilmington is the hometown of US President Joe Biden.
The joint statement reaffirmed a steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient. Officially, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) was conceived in 2017 by the United States, India, Japan, and Australia as a space to cooperate for safeguarding shared security and other interests in the Indo-Pacific region. However, observers have pointed out that the forum’s main objective is to counter China’s military and economic rise in the same waters.
The Quad announced a new regional Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific (MAITRI) to enable the Indo-Pacific partners to maximise tools to monitor and secure their waters, enforce their laws, and deter unlawful behaviour. India will host the inaugural MAITRI workshop in 2025.
It also unveiled a Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network pilot project to pursue shared airlift capacity among the four nations and leverage collective logistics strengths during natural disasters. The coast guards of all four nations will have a first-ever Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission in 2025 in the Indo-Pacific to improve interoperability.
Sunday’s summit was the fourth time the leaders officially met and was the first meeting since 2022. In 2023, Biden declined to travel due to domestic compulsions. Following the request of the US side to host the Quad summit this year, India has agreed to host the next Quad summit in 2025.
“Quad is here to stay, to assist, to partner and to complement,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the summit.
Bilateral with Biden
On the sidelines, the prime minister had a bilateral meeting with Biden at his home in Wilmington. Biden commended Prime Minister Modi for his historic visits to Poland and Ukraine, the first by an Indian prime minister in decades, and for his message of peace and ongoing humanitarian support for Ukraine, a joint bilateral statement released by both nations after the meeting said.
It added that both nations are working to unlock $1 billion in new multilateral finance through the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) for clean energy projects, including in India. “The funding could support supply-side manufacturing capacity expansion for key technology verticals, focusing on solar, wind, battery, energy grid systems, and high-efficiency air conditioner and ceiling fan supply chains,” it said.
The leaders also announced the selection of 11 funding awards between the National Science Foundation and India’s Department of Science and Technology, supported by a combined $5+ million grant to enable joint US-India research projects in areas such as next-generation telecommunications, connected vehicles, and machine learning.
On the occasion of the prime minister’s visit, the US side facilitated the return of 297 antiquities that had been stolen or trafficked from India. In July, both sides had signed a Cultural Property Agreement. Since 2016, the US has facilitated the largest return of trafficked or stolen antiquities from India, at 578.
First Published: Sep 22 2024 | 7:37 PM IS