MELBOURNE, 4 March 2022: Quad leaders, PM Scott Morrison, President Joe Biden, PM Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio met virtually last night and a joint statement emailed today morning said they”… reaffirm their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, in which the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states is respected and countries are free from military, economic, and political coercion. They reaffirmed their dedication to the Quad as a mechanism to promote regional stability and prosperity.”
Statements by the four Quad leaders clearly showed India’s sticking to not criticizing Russia over the Ukraine crisis in contrast to the western leaders censuring Russia for the Ukraine invasion. India emphasized the Quad should remain focused on the Indo-Pacific. In fact, the joint declaration does not reflect a united stand on condemning Russia.
Their first meeting a week after the ongoing Ukraine crisis added in the joint statement, ” The Quad Leaders discussed the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and assessed its broader implications. They agreed to stand up new humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mechanism that will enable the Quad to meet future humanitarian challenges in the Indo-Pacific and provide a channel for communication as they each address and respond to the crisis in Ukraine.
In their continuing pursuit of a free and open Indo-Pacific, the Quad Leaders agreed to meet in person in Tokyo in the coming months.”
India’s absentation during the UN resolution against the Russian invasion of Ukraine preceding the Quad meeting finds no mention in the joint statement. A statement from PM Modi’s office says, ” Prime Minister underlined the Quad must remain focused on its core objective of promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Indi-pacific region. He called for concrete and practical forms of cooperation within the Quad, in areas like Humanitarian and Disaster Relief, debt sustainability, supply chains, clean energy, connectivity, and capacity-building.”
Dr. Pradeep Taneja, Senior lecturer in Asian Politics at the University of Melbourne and fellow of the Australia India Institute spoke to ABC NewsRadio’s Glen Bartholomew about India’s stand on the Ukraine crisis as being reflective of its policy of multi-alignment in the world:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-04/quad-leaders-urgently-meet-to-discuss-indo-pacific/13782136
ANI reports, ” US President Joe Biden met with “fellow Quad leaders PM Scott Morrison, PM Narendra Modi, and PM Kishida Fumio about Russia’s ongoing attack on Ukraine and our commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity around the world, including in the Indo-Pacific.”
In contrast to India’s stand on Ukraine, PM Scott Morrison in a statement says, “The Australian Government’s view of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is clear: Russia’s actions are a gross violation of international law and the UN Charter. There is no justification for Russia’s aggression, which is illegal, unjustified, and unprovoked. Australia has implemented strong sanctions against Russia in close coordination with our Indo-Pacific and global partners. We are supporting Ukraine, including through US$50m of military assistance to support Ukraine’s defence and US$25m of immediate humanitarian assistance at a time of great suffering for Ukraine’s people.
My meeting with Quad Leaders comes at a critical time for our region and the world. We cannot allow what is happening in Ukraine now to ever happen in the Indo-Pacific. We are resolute in our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region where smaller states do not need to live in fear of more powerful ones.”
In the Ukraine crisis, Japan PM Kashida said, ” Unilateral changes to the status quo by force or coercion like the recent Russian aggression against Ukraine are also unacceptable in the Indo-Pacific region. It is critically important for us to bring about a free and open Indo-Pacific. We agreed we will work in close cooperation to ensure the success of our next face-to-face Quad summit, which will be held in Tokyo in the coming months.
