Australian Foreign Minister criticises joint statement released after Putin-Xi meet

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne criticised the joint statement issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping following their meeting on February 4. The joint statement released after the Putin-Jinping meeting, according to Payne, sets forth a vision of the global order that is at odds with that of Australia and its allies and partners. The Putin-Jinping meeting took place on the sidelines of the Beijing Winter Olympics, which is currently underway.

"Friendship between the two states has no limits and there are no forbidden areas of cooperation," the joint statement issued after the Putin-Xi summit, read.

"The joint statement lays out a vision of the world that differs from Australia's and our allies' and partners', and I'm convinced it includes all of our Quad partners," Payne said.

In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), on February 9, Payne said, "The joint statement sets out a vision of the global order that is at odds with that of Australia and that of our allies and partners, and I'm confident that includes all of our Quad partners."

China and Russia, according to Australia's Foreign Minister, are using an approach that isn't contributing to security. Moreover, according to Payne, the impending foreign ministerial conference of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or "Quad," sends a very strong message to China about the US and its partners' commitment to the Indo-Pacific area.

She also stated in an interview with the ABC on Wednesday that the tight security situation at the Russia-Ukraine border did not overshadow the importance the US places on the Indo-Pacific region. Further, Russia and China have slammed the United States' Indo-Pacific Strategy, rejecting the establishment of closed bloc structures and opposing camps in the Asia-Pacific region. She said Australia is very worried about the Russian military build-up along the Ukraine border and called for a reciprocal conversation to de-escalate the situation.

Russia accuses NATO of inflaming military tensions

Russia has accused the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) of inflaming military tensions by refusing to comply with Moscow's demand to withdraw offensive weapons from the Russia-Ukraine border. Russia has demanded security assurances from NATO, including that it honours its past treaty promises not to expand beyond its present borders, and that Ukraine be barred from joining the 30-nation military alliance.

Following a recent meeting with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, President Putin warned that if Kyiv joins NATO, the European states could be dragged into a military conflict. Only India has remained neutral on the Ukraine-Russia issue among the four Quad states, owing to the strong defence and strategic collaboration between New Delhi and Moscow. On the 30th of January, India was one of a few countries that abstained from a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) vote calling for a discussion on the Eastern European issue, a gesture that Moscow applauded.

In terms of China, the Quad nations have been vocal in their opposition to Beijing's maritime claims in the East and South China Seas. Beijing has been a vocal critic of the Quad, accusing Washington of establishing an Asian NATO. Following the unveiling of the tri-nation AUKUS treaty in September last year, the Chinese Foreign Ministry accused Washington of inciting an arms race in the region. Moreover, the UK and US agreed to provide Australia, the technologies to build sophisticated nuclear attack submarines as part of the agreement.

(With inputs from agencies, Image: AP)