Page 12 - The Indian EYE 031122

OpINION MARCH 11, 2022 | The Indian Eye 12

the rise of temperature to 1.50 C as The statement’s denouncement of
agreed in the 2015 Paris Agreement, economic coercion is complementary
clean-energy innovation for achieving to Quad’s fundamental commitment
sectoral decarbonization efforts and towards creating ‘free and open In-
climate adaptation by the develop- do-Pacific’ that is devoid of all forms
ment of disaster-resilient infrastruc- of coercion including economic, mili-
ture and climate information systems. tary and political.
Critical Emerging Technolo- Apart from these key aspects,
gies: Enhancing cooperation in cyber- the statement sets out an agenda
space for combating cyber threats and for the future course of activities of
securing the critical infrastructure of Quad which includes the hosting of
the Quad nations, is the central idea the Indo-Pacific Clean Energy Supply
of the Quad Critical and Emerging Chain Forum by Australia by mid-
Technology Working Group. It has 2022. Also, the US has pledged to
been set up to identify new collabo- promote exchange programmes for
ration opportunities in space tech- capacity building in the core focus
nology for sharing satellite data for areas of Quad and explore the feasi-
peaceful purposes like monitoring bility for initiating a track 1.5 dialogue
climate change, coordinating disaster between the strategic thinkers of the
response and facilitating sustainable US President Joe Biden attends the virtual Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) with four nations. The joint statement also
exploitation of marine resources. To- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian expressed grave concerns regarding
wards this end, the joint statement Prime Minister Scott Morrison, in Washington on Thursday. (ANI Photo) Myanmar and North Korea.
also mentioned about the inclusion of The Quad as a value-based part-
the Quad into the Blue Dot Network nership must be able to persuade the
(BDN), which was earlier an exclusive Akin to the preceding joint statements pertaining to maritime security as the ASEAN nations to partake in Quad’s
Indo-Pacific initiative between the of the Quad leadership summit, the Quad recognizes that international vision for the Indo-Pacific region.
US, Australia and Japan for improv- Foreign Ministers’ Joint Statement law, peace and security in the mari- Also, the focus on terrorism in-
ing the standards of infrastructure in- too pledged Quad’s unwavering sup- time domain underpins the develop- dicates that it is likely to become a
vestment in the region. port for ASEAN unity and centrality ment and prosperity of the Indo-Pacif- regular feature in the future joint
Overall, the joint statements from in the Indo-Pacific region. The state- ic region. For this purpose, the Quad statements of all high-level Quad
2017 to 2021 have indicated evolving ment reiterated Quad’s commitment has expressed its determination to meetings. This can be viewed as a ma-
consensus and expanding coopera- towards the practical implementation deepen its engagement for strength- jor diplomatic success for India in gar-
tion within the Quad nations and with of ASEAN’s outlook on the Indo-Pa- ening Maritime Domain Awareness nering international support for de-
other regional stakeholders of the cific. This outlook for the Indo-Pacif- (MDA), ensuring FoN and overflight, nouncing cross-border terrorism. The
Indo-Pacific. This is also reflected in ic includes the commitment towards protecting SLOCs and combating Il- Joint Statement also indicates that the
the US’ Indo-Pacific strategy that har- strengthening openness, transparen- legal Unreported and Unregulated mandate of Quad is not to oppose any
monizes with the various stakeholders cy, inclusivity, rules-based order, good (IUU) fishing. particular nation, but to holistically
of the region including India, Japan, governance, respect for sovereignty, Countering Terrorism: The facilitate greater cooperation among
Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, non-intervention and adherence to statement has categorically de- the Quad members and the regional
United Kingdom and France along the 1982 UN Convention on the Law nounced the use of terrorist proxies partners to address wide-ranging se-
with regional organizations like ASE- of the Seas (UNCLOS) and other in- for cross-border terrorism and advo- curity issues emanating from both tra-
AN (Association of Southeast Asian ternational and regional treaties. cated the elimination of safe havens ditional and non-traditional sources.
Nations) and the European Union. Capacity Building and Tech- for terrorists, disruption of the finan- Overall, despite the evolving consen-
The three-page joint statement nical Assistance: The statement has cial channel and the infrastructure sus and expanding cooperation, insti-
that was issued after the foreign min- expressed Quad’s determination to support that sustains and enables the tutionalizing Quad 2.0 still remains a
isters of the Quad nations met in Mel- deepen its engagement with regional cross-border movement of terrorists. work in progress. However, the Quad
bourne in February 2022, comprehen- partners for providing capacity-build- The statement unequivocally called process is progressively shaping more
sively points out certain key areas of ing and technical assistance for coun- on all nations for ensuring that their like an axiom than a conundrum.
cooperation that can be categorized tering cyber and information threats. territory is not used to launch terror Abhay Kumar Singh is Research
as follows: The statement has highlighted the attacks and to apprehend and perse- Fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Insti-
Support to Regional and need to build resilience for coun- cute the perpetrators of such attacks.
Sub-Regional Mechanisms: The joint tering disinformation which can be The statement condemned the 26/11 tute for Defense Studies and Analyses,
New Delhi
statement reiterated Quad’s commit- interpreted as a subtle hint to China Mumbai and Pathankot terror attacks
ment for supporting both regional and and Russia for their alleged use of in India. The Quad reaffirmed UNSC Mr R. Vignesh is a Research Analyst in
sub-regional mechanisms including social media for manipulation. Also, Resolution 2593 that demanded the the Military Affairs Centre, at Manohar
the Mekong sub-region’s efforts to ad- these measures are to assist region- Afghan territory not to be used for Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies
dress regional challenges on maritime al partners across the Indo-Pacific in terrorism-related activities. and Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi.
security, HADR operations, cyber se- addressing the growing threat of ran- Countering Economic Co- Views expressed are of the author and
curity, disinformation and terrorism. somware by building a resilient cyber ercion: Through the statement, the do not necessarily reflect the views of
Through the statement, the Quad security framework. The statement Quad opposed coercive economic the Manohar Parrikar IDSA or of the
nations have pledged to work towards also endorses the implementation policies and practices that run count- Government of India.
shared projects and partnership that of the UN Voluntary Framework for er to free, open and economic prac-
goes beyond the traditional ambit of Responsible State Behavior in Cy- tices. The Quad has pledged to work This is the abridged version of the
security and is deemed necessary for berspace for promoting international collectively to foster economic resil- article which appeared first in the
achieving regional stability and pros- peace and stability in cyberspace. ience against such actions. Although Comment section of the website (www.
perity in order to secure the region’s Maritime Security: On the sec- not explicitly stated, this aspect of the idsa.in) of Manohar Parrikar Institute
political and economic future. ond page of the statement, there has statement can be attributed to Chi- for Defense Studies and Analyses, New
Focus on ASEAN Centrality: been extensive focus on the issues na’s alleged ‘Debt-Trap Diplomacy’. Delhi on March 4, 2022

www.TheIndianEYE.com