With China flexing its muscles in the Indo-Pacific region, the Foreign Ministers of the Quad combine here on Friday reiterated the grouping’s resolve for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

After External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi and Australia’s Penny Wong met, it was announced that a Quad working group on counter-terrorism would be established to explore measures to counter new and emerging forms of terrorism, radicalisation and violent extremism.

The Quad Foreign Ministers also “unequivocally” condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and denounced the use of terrorist proxies and financial or military support to terrorist organisations which could be used to launch or plan terrorist attacks, including transnational and cross-border strikes.

They reiterated their condemnation of terrorist attacks, including 26/11 Mumbai strikes, which claimed lives of citizens from all Quad countries, and Pathankot attacks.

“We are pleased to announce the establishment of the Quad working group on counter-terrorism, which will explore cooperation among the Quad, and with Indo-Pacific partners, to counter new and emerging forms of terrorism, radicalisation to violence and violent extremism,” they said in the statement.

The Quad also underlined the need for abiding with principles of rule of law and territorial integrity in an apparent reference to the ongoing Ukraine conflict.

“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,” the statement said.

The Quad alliance comprising India, Australia, United States and Japan denounced the threat of the use of nuclear weapons in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war as “inadmissible”.

This message was conveyed in a joint statement issued after the Foreign Ministers of the Quad combine reviewed the situation in the strategically important Indo-Pacific and the adverse impact of the Russian military action in Ukraine.  Australia will host the summit of the Quad heads of states later this year.

The meet held on the sidelines of the G-20 Foreign Ministers’ conclave was hosted by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.  His Quad counterparts Antony Blinken (US), Penny Wong (Australia) and Yoshimasa Hayashi (Japan) participated in the breakfast meet here.  Incidentally, the joint statement refrained from naming China.

‘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,’ it said.

The Foreign Ministers said the Quad is acting as a force for regional and global good, and it will be guided by the priorities of the Indo-Pacific region through its positive and constructive agenda.

The statement said through the Quad, the countries seek to support the region through practical cooperation on contemporary challenges such as health security, climate change and the clean energy transition, critical and emerging technologies, infrastructure and connectivity.

It also talked about addressing the debt crisis through sustainable, transparent and fair lending and financing practices. ‘We concur that the rules-based international order is anchored in international law, including the UN Charter, and the principles of sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity of all states,’ it said.

‘We are committed to cooperate to address attempts to unilaterally subvert the UN and international system, in consultation with our partners and through multilateral and international platforms,’ it added.

The Ministers also said, ‘We continued to discuss our responses to the conflict in Ukraine and the immense human suffering it is causing, and concurred that the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible.

‘We underscored the need for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter. We emphasised that the rules-based international order must respect sovereignty, territorial integrity, transparency and peaceful resolution of disputes.’

Later, Blinken said at the Raisina Dialogue here that ‘if we allow with impunity Russia to do what it’s doing in Ukraine, then that’s a message to would be aggressors everywhere that they may be able to get away with it too’.

‘The principles that underlie the entire international system that are necessary for trying to keep peace, the stability that grew out of two world wars are being challenged, being aggressed along with Ukraine,’ he said.

‘And part of the reason that countries way beyond Europe are also so focused on this and are working to support Ukraine and deal with the challenge is because they know it could have an effect here,’ he said.

Expressing concern over terrorists exploiting technology for their ulterior motives, the statement ‘We welcome the focused discussions on these themes at the Quad Counter-Terrorism Policy Meeting and tabletop exercise hosted by Australia in October 2022.’

Following the meeting, the four Ministers attended a session at the Raisina Dialogue here and spoke largely about the convergence of interests of the Quad member nations.

‘For us the future is so much in the Indo-Pacific. Our engagement throughout the region, both through the Quad and in other ways, is as comprehensive and as deep as any time I can remember,’ Blinken said.

While Blinken and Wong were in India to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting, Hayashi came to Delhi to participate in the Quad meeting.