America’s big message before the Quad ministerial meeting, said the role of partner countries including India in the Indo-Pacific is strategically important.

New Delhi . Ahead of the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting to be held in the Philippines, America has described the role of its strategic partner countries including India in the Indo-Pacific region as extremely important. US Ambassador to India Sergio Gore said that America is fully committed to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region and the partnership of Quad countries is of decisive importance in achieving this objective. His remarks have come at a time when issues related to regional security and maritime stability remain a topic of constant discussion at the global level.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has left to participate in various ASEAN-related meetings and the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting held in the Philippines. He is also scheduled to participate in the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference, East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and ASEAN Regional Forum meetings during his visit. During this period, bilateral and multilateral talks are also proposed with senior officials of many countries of the Indo-Pacific region.

The American side says that the main objective of this visit is to further strengthen regional cooperation, give a new direction to the strategic partnership and advance joint efforts related to security and economic stability. The US has reiterated that ensuring a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region, freedom of sea lanes and level playing field for all countries are among its key foreign policy priorities.

The Quad group is an important strategic platform of India, America, Japan and Australia. The group works together on topics such as peace, stability, economic cooperation, disaster management, maritime security, emerging technologies and strengthening supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region. The scope of Quad’s activities has continuously increased in the last few years and it is being seen as an important platform for regional cooperation.

In the earlier Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting, the four countries had reiterated their commitment towards a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. Also, the member countries had agreed to further strengthen regional cooperation and pursue such joint initiatives, which can directly benefit the countries of the Indo-Pacific region. In the meeting, special emphasis was laid on maritime security, economic cooperation and rules-based international system.

The joint statement of the last meeting also expressed concern over the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea. Member States reiterated their opposition to any unilateral action that affects regional peace and stability through the use of force, pressure or military activities. Concerns were also raised about freedom of navigation, security of air traffic and increasing military activities in maritime areas.

The eyes of the international community are fixed on this meeting to be held in the Philippines. It is believed that in the meeting there will be extensive discussion on issues like regional security, strategic cooperation, maritime challenges and economic partnership. All member countries, including India, will strive to move forward on a common strategy towards strengthening stability, balance and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.