EAM S Jaishankar meets Australian counterpart Marise Payne on QUAD 2020 sidelines

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar met his Australian counterpart, Marise Payne, along the sidelines of the Quad Meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday. Sharing photos of their meeting, the EAM revealed that the two countries reviewed the progress of their bilateral ties along with discussing how this cooperation in global affairs and regional issues could be extended. The two countries also strengthened their resolve to work together more closely in multilateral forums.

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EAM stresses on importance of Indo-Pacific region 

While addressing the dignitaries in the Quad meeting, EAM Jaishankar in a veiled dig at China stressed the need to uphold rule-based international order in the international seas along while respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of other nations. "We remain committed to upholding rule-based international order, underpinned by rule of law, transparency, freedom of navigation in international seas, respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty and peaceful resolution of disputes," said EAM S Jaishankar at Quad Ministerial Meeting. 

"It's a matter of satisfaction that Indo-Pacific concept has gained increasingly wider acceptance. Indo-Pacific Ocean’s Initiative that we tabled at East Asia Summit last year is development with considerable promise in that context," he added.

He also spoke about how uncharted waters needed to be navigated and protected collectively given the events of the year and the COVID-19 pandemic. "The events of this year have clearly demonstrated how imperative it is for like-minded countries 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.

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, also known as Quad, is an informal strategic forum between India, US, Japan, and Australia. The strategic alliance was formed to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and check China’s expansionist efforts in the region, which has become a major cause of concern for a rules-based order. 

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(Image credits- DrSJaishankar/Twitter)