Page 5 - The Indian EYE 031023

BIG STORY MARCH 10, 2023 | The Indian Eye 5

Antony Blinken speaks at the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meet Japan Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks at the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meet

between Russia and the North At- itarian assistance and disaster relief promote cooperation and communi- FM Jaishankar”, she said.
lantic Treaty Organization (NATO), (HADR), maritime security and cation with the ASEAN countries in “He had participated in the
both nuclear powers, are also on the counter-terrorism. the view of free and open Indo-Pacif- working lunch hosted by Jaishankar.
rise as the war is extended. The Foreign Ministers of Quad ic, upholding basic principles of now It lasted about an hour. The two min-
In the meeting, Foreign Minis- or the Quadrilateral Security Dia- allowing change of status quo unilat- isters have met several times. It is his
ters said the Quad, as a force for re- logue held a frank discussion on the erally by force”, she added. first visit to India. He paid respect
gional and global good, will be guided international situation and on the fu- Speaking about India and Ja- to Jaishankar who recently conclud-
by the priorities of the Indo-Pacific ture direction of the Quad, said Yuki- pan’s bilateral relationship and In- ed the G20 ministerial meeting and
region through its positive and con- ko Okano, Deputy Press Secretary, dia’s G20 Presidency, the deputy said as being the chair of the G7, Japan
structive agenda. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan that the relationship is strengthening would like to cooperate with India
Quad Foreign ministers sought in an online press briefing on Friday. and that Japan would like to cooper- at G20 presidency throughout the
support in the region through prac- “On Quad meeting, this year In- ate with India during the G20 presi- year”, she added.
tical cooperation on contemporary dia is the host and Australia will host dency throughout the year. On the participation of the min-
challenges such as health security, the summit meeting. The Four Quad “He (Foreign Minister Hayashi) isters at the Quad panel discussion,
climate change and the clean en- ministers met face to face and had arrived early in India to attend the Okano said that the Minister talked
ergy transition, critical and emerg- very frank discussions on the current Quad Breakfast meeting. He took about the possible directions of the
ing technologies, infrastructure and international situations and on the part in Raisina panel discussion. He Quad and expressed his views that
connectivity. The Foreign ministers future directions on the quad,” said held several bilateral meetings like Quad is guided by the vision of free
also addressed the debt crisis, space Okano. with Oman, Canada and he partici- Indo - Pacific and there was a discus-
cooperation, cyber-security, human- “The four countries decided to pated in the walking lunch hosted by sion on ASEAN centrality as well.

“Russia never engage in playing any country

against...”: Lavrov on Indo-Pacific

ussian Foreign Minister security dialogue between Australia, other on paper. ask him what he’s doing?”
Sergey Lavrov on Friday India, Japan and the United States. “We are interested in these two Lavrov also talked about
Rsaid that Moscow has nev- “The idea promoted by our (India-China) great nations to be NATO and the war. He said that
er engaged in playing one country American friends of ASEAN plus friends. It was the initiative of my Ukraine had said earlier that they
against another but it is “being tried Quad is openly aimed at ruining predecessor to create troika of Rus- will not expand NATO but then
by some other outside players” in East Asia Summits. In other words, sia, China and India which culminat- they changed their words.
the context of so-called Indo- Pacif- it means East Asia Summits minus ed in the BRICS formation. My feel- “Ukraine legally cancelled the
ic strategy. China and Russia,” Lavrov said in a ing is that the more they meet, the MINSK agreement, which is a se-
“We never engage in play- discussion with Observer Research better,” Lavrov added. ries of agreements sought to end
ing any country against any other Foundation. Talking about the negotiation the Donbas war fought between
country but this is, unfortunately, Talking about Russia’s relations with Ukraine, the Russian Foreign armed Russian separatist groups
being tried by some other outside with India and China, Lavrov said Minister said, “Everyone’s asking and the Armed Forces of Ukraine,
players in the context of so-called that he had good relations with both when Russia is ready to negotiate. that has to do with the Russian lan-
Indo- Pacific strategy, using Quad, countries. He further stated that the Nobody asks Ukrainian President guage. And when the people who
not for economical purpose but relations with India are character- Volodymyr Zelenskyy when he’s go- did not accept the coup in the east
trying to militaries it,” Lavrov said. ized in official documents signed by ing to negotiate. Last year, Zelenskyy of Ukraine and in Crimea said,
It is pertinent to mention that the the two leaders as a “specially privi- signed a document making it a crim- guys, leave us alone, we are not go-
Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, leged strategic partnership” which is inal offence to negotiate with Russia ing to follow your policies,” Lavrov
known as the Quad, is a strategic the only status that was given to any as long as Putin is present. Can you said.

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