“Quad to make lives of people in Indo-Pacific ‘better’ says State Dept official

By Anjali Sharma

WASHINGTON – US State Department Spokesperson, Margaret Macleod on Friday has said that Quad since its inception has been working to make the lives of people better in the Indo-Pacific.

Margaret Macleod said that US President Joe Biden is hosting Quad Summit in Delaware, as it is his state and he wants to showcase the importance of his personal ties with Quad leaders.

Macleod stated that the next joint statement of Quad will include cooperation between the four nations in various sectors, including cyber security and maritime security.

She highlighted the importance of Quad in Indo-Pacific, she said, “Quad, since its inception, has been working to make the lives of people better in the Indo-Pacific region. President Biden decided to host this meeting in Delaware because it’s his state and he wanted to show the importance of his personal relationship with Quad leaders.”

“In the next joint statement, we will hear about the cooperation in various sectors, including cyber security, health security, and maritime security. Then we will also talk about how we can deal with the water and air challenges. The White House has not yet announced agenda of the bilateral meeting with PM Narendra Modi during his US visit. So I will not say anything about that before the White House’s announcement,” she added.

Quad Foreign Ministers have met 8 times, and Quad governments continue to meet and coordinate at all levels.

She stated that there is a lot of cooperation between India and the US, including education, space cooperation and advanced technology cooperation.

Ms. Margaret Macleod said that the US’ ties with India will remain important irrespective of who becomes president in the elections set to be held in the US on November 3.

She emphasized the strong ties between two nations, Macleod said, “If I talk broadly, there is a lot of cooperation between the US and India, including education, space cooperation, and advanced technology cooperation. I think there is a lot to talk between India and the US.”

“US is a democracy, like India is also a democracy. We choose our President through elections held after every four years. The relationship between India and the US has been strengthening over the years. I’m saying with full confidence that this partnership is bipartisan. Our Congress has bipartisan resolution which places emphasis on priorities of Quad. Whoever becomes the president of the US, the relationship with India will remain important. This meeting is not about individual interests, but our collective interests are also high. Our social gain is very high. In the next joint statement, you will hear about the areas in which we intend to cooperate,” she added.

She said that Quad is not a security alliance and added that Quad, since 2022, decided to start a new program, Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness.

The official said that China is being aggressive in the South China Sea.

She called China “aggressive” in the South China Sea, Macleod said, “Quad is not a security alliance. But, the truth is that China is being aggressive in the South China Sea. Apart from the Quad, the United States is holding a lot of consultations with the Philippines. We have released statements regarding our actions. For maritime security, Quad has been working on the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain awareness. Since 2022, our Quad countries have been providing more information to each other and neighbours so that every country in the Indo-Pacific can secure maritime borders.”

On China’s recent actions in the South China Sea, she said, “Apart from that, the United States is seeing that China is doing a lot of aggressive actions in the South China Sea. Recently, a Philippine Coast Guard aircraft was attacked, and their workers faced danger. Our US government clearly said that the People’s Republic of China government shouldn’t do such acts.”

India, Australia, Japan, and the United States members of the Quad group are committed to work as a force for global good and to support an open, free, and inclusive Indo-Pacific that is prosperous and resilient.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting the United States from September 21 to 23 during which he will take part in the Quad Summit and address the ‘Summit of the Future’ at the UNGA in New York.

Modi will take part in the 4^TH Quad Leaders’ Summit in Wilmington, Delaware.

He will review the progress achieved by the Quad over the last one year and set the agenda for the year ahead to assist the countries of the Indo-Pacific region in meeting their development goals and aspirations, MEA said.

PM Modi will address ‘Summit of the Future’ at the UNGA on September 23. The theme of the Summit is ‘Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow’.

He will hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders and discuss the issues of mutual interest.

Modi will address a gathering of the Indian community on September 22 in New York.