Jaishankar visits Australia's Shrine of Remembrance to honour memory of fallen soldiers

Following the 4th QUAD Foreign Ministers’ meet, EAM S Jaishankar on Friday visited the Shrine of Remembrance, which is one of Australia’s largest war memorials. Notably, Australia hosted India, Japan and the US for the QUAD meeting in Melbourne and the top diplomats bolstered cooperation in areas including the economy, security, COVID-19 pandemic and free and open Indo-Pacific. After the meet, Jaishankar, in a Twitter post, informed that he visited the war memorial in Melbourne in order to honour the memory of the fallen soldiers. 

The Shrine of Remembrance is a war memorial in Melbourne which was unveiled back in 1934. It is one of the largest war memorials in Australia. It was built to honour the men and women who served in World War I, but it now functions as a memorial to all Australians who have served in any war. The war memorial is Melbourne’s “iconic landmark to find peaceful reflection, discover the real-life stories of Australians in wartime and view breathtaking vistas of the memorial gardens,” according to the official website

It is to mention that the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) is a partnership between Australia, India, Japan and the United States, each of whom shares a commitment to openness and transparency. Friday’s Foreign MInisters’ meet was hosted by Australia and aimed to strengthen collaboration in areas such as security, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Indo-Pacific region. Jaishankar termed the QUAD as a vibrant and substantial framework for promoting the shared vision of a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific. 

"Strong bilateral links between our respective countries, strategic convergences, and shared democratic ideals have all combined to make the QUAD a vibrant and substantial framework, as evident by our interactions," stated Jaishankar at a joint press conference after the meeting.

The EAM added that QUAD members are eager to collaborate to promote Indo-Pacific peace, stability and economic growth through collaborative initiatives to address contemporary concerns. "In this regard, we will continue to assist our ASEAN allies in their efforts to maintain regional peace, stability, and development. It's crucial to recognise and emphasise their importance," Jaishankar said. 

QUAD ‘will work together to give shape to a positive agenda’ 

Further, he also went on to inform that QUAD members on Friday reviewed the group’s ongoing efforts to battle the COVID-19 pandemic and committed to ramping up the delivery of safe and affordable vaccines. Jaishankar believes that QUAD’s discussions and efforts to establish robust supply chains, improve the availability of trusted vital technologies, combat misinformation, and preserve the rules-based multilateral trading system will help to foster global economic resilience. He praised the QUAD’s shared goal and stated that the alliance will fight common global concerns such as terrorism, boost marine domain awareness, and provide cyber security assistance to Indo-Pacific countries. 

"QUAD's constructive goal, which our leaders adopted last year, will be carried out through education programmes and think tank dialogues to deepen our people-to-people ties. We will work together to give shape and substance to a positive agenda, transforming it into a force for global good, as my Prime Minister Narendra Modi put it," Jaishankar remarked. 

(Image: Twitter/AP)