The Indian side highlighted India’s vision for the Indo-Pacific Region as outlined in Prime Minister’s Keynote Address at Shangrila Dialogue

NEW DELHI: India-Australia-Japan-US held their second Quadrilateral meet since November 2017 with Delhi harping on an inclusive and multi-polar approach for Indo-Pacific region rather than bloc-based security architecture.

India as a conscious decision did not term meet as Quadrilateral and described it as consultations with three other countries in the backdrop of its engagements with Russia and China. This was third Quadrilateral meet and the second meet held after a decade was organised in Manila last November on the sidelines of East Asia Summit & ASEAN Summits with dialogue partners.

On June 07, Foreign Ministry officials from India, Australia, Japan and the US met in Singapore on the margins of ASEAN-centred Senior Officials Meeting for consultations on issues of common interest in the Indo-Pacific region, noted a MEA statement.

The participants considered ways to pursue shared objectives in the areas of connectivity and development; regional security, including counter-terrorism and non-proliferation; HA-DR and maritime cooperation.

The Indian side highlighted India’s vision for the Indo-Pacific Region as outlined in Prime Minister’s Keynote Address at ShangriLa Dialogue. It may be recalled that speech harped on ASEAN centrality and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.

The participants reaffirmed their strong support for ASEAN centrality and ASEAN-led mechanisms in the regional architecture for the Indo-Pacific. They agreed to partner with all countries and institutions in the region to promote the shared vision of a peaceful, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific, including through such multilateral formats.

The participants reaffirmed their support for a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific Region. They also confirmed their common commitment, based on shared values and principles, to promote a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific.