Committed to maintaining a free, open & inclusive Indo-Pacific: India at Quad meet | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: India, along with Australia, Japan and the US, affirmed the importance of maintaining a “free, open and inclusive” Indo-Pacific.
“We remain committed to upholding the rules-based international order, underpinned by the rule of law, transparency, freedom of navigation in the international seas, respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty and peaceful resolution of disputes,” external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday at Quad Ministerial Meeting in Tokyo.
Jaishankar said that India looks forward to seeking collective solutions to global challenges,including global recovery from the pandemic and reform of multilateral institutions.
Jaishankar further stated that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has underlined the importance of likeminded nations to coordinate responses to the various challenges that the pandemic has brought to the fore.
“As we collectively navigate these uncharted waters, we seek to emerge from the pandemic more resilient than ever before,” he said.
“It is a matter of satisfaction that Indo-Pacific concept has gained increasingly wider acceptance,” Jaishankar added.
Speaking at the start of a Quad meeting, a gathering of the foreign ministers of United States, Australia, India and Japan, Pompeo said all the partners were seeking a free and open Indo-Pacific.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it was more critical now than ever for the regional allies in Indo-Pacific to collaborate against what he called Chinese Communist Party’s “exploitation, coercion and corruption.”