Quad is very central to United States and our thinking about Indo-Pacific region: Australian PM Scott Morrison

Image courtesy: Reuters

New Delhi: In a significant development for the world and the Indo-Pacific region, the first-ever meeting of Quad leaders is expected to take place very soon. While no time schedule is known as of now, the meet will see the presence of US President Joe Biden, Australian PM Scott Morrison, Indian PM Narendra Modi, and Japan's PM Yoshihide Suga.

Confirming the plans, Australian PM Scott Morrison said, "I am looking forward to that first gathering of quad leaders. It will be the first-ever gathering of quad leaders. I already had bilateral discussions with Narendra Modi and Yoshihide Suga, the PM of Japan and PM of India."

Morrison pointed that "we are looking forward to those discussions and follow-up face-to-face meetings as well" and such meets will become a "feature of the Indo Pacific engagement" but it will "not have a big bureaucracy, with a big secretariat. It will be 4 leaders, 4 countries working together constructively for the peace, prosperity, and stability of the Indo pacific"

The Australian PM recalled how the summit was "one of the first things" he had discussed with US President Biden when both spoke to each other. 

He elaborated, "The quad is very central to the United States and our thinking about the region. Looking at the Indo Pacific also through the prism of our ASEAN partners, their vision of the Indo Pacific."

"The president and indeed the secretary of state, have made clear that their re-engagement in multilateral organizations particularly in the Indo-Pacific is key in building stability and peace in the Indo-Pacific," he added.

February saw the 3rd foreign minister-level talks of the Quad grouping. The Foreign ministers of Quad countries--US State Secretary Blinken, Japan FM Motegi Toshimitsu, Australian FM Marise Payne, and EAM Dr S Jaishankar discussed key issues like the Covid crisis and Myanmar coup. Quad FMs had met last year in Tokyo in a physical meeting. The first Quad FMs meet happened in New York in 2019 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Quad is seen very suspiciously by China which has termed it "Asian Nato" something that has been dismissed by the grouping. The dialogue was first initiated in 2007 by the then Japanese PM Shinzo Abe but lost support only to re-emerge in 2017 when leaders of the grouping had met. 

Last year saw Australia being invited to Malabar exercises which witnessed the coming of all 4 Quad countries under one umbrella for naval exercises in the Indian ocean. Amid the Covid pandemic, Quad plus meetings happened at the Foreign Secretary-level to exchange best practices.