QUAD Reflection of Shared Interests to Have Peaceful, Accountable Indo-Pacific: US Envoy Garcetti

US envoy Eric Garcetti on Friday said the Quad is really a reflection of the "shared interests" of having a peaceful, democratic, just, open and accountable Indo-Pacific while underlining that its member country India is in many ways "in the driver's seat" of the grouping. He said this in response to a question on the functioning of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue grouping, commonly described as Quad, during a panel discussion at a conclave here.

The Quad comprises India, the US, Japan and Australia and it has unveiled a series of initiatives in the last few years with a broad aim to ensure peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. China believes the coalition is aimed at containing it. The US Ambassador to India shared the dais with British High Commissioner Alex Ellis, Australian High Commissioner Philip Green, and Nirupama Rao, former foreign secretary of India, during the India Today Conclave 2024.

Garcetti, in a lighter vein described the panellists as a 'QUAUKUS' ('Quad+AUKUS') as the AUKUS is a grouping of Australia, Britain and the United States. "We have always said the Quad isn't a military alliance of four of us. We have strong bilateral relations, each aspect of the Quad, each country. They do work in strategic and military space, they do work in economic spaces, they do work in people-to-people and cultural and educational spaces," he said.

"But, the Quad is really a reflection of values and of geography and the shared interests that we have to have a peaceful, democratic, just, open, accountable Indo-Pacific," the US envoy asserted.

And that happens in so many ways with Quad, whether it is looking at ecological and climate issues, whether it is the emergency seen during the pandemic, when the grouping really "became a force for assisting each other," he said. Garcetti said he thought that it was "a better question" for each country to answer, and not for one country to apply to.

"But, India is in many ways in the driver's seat of the Quad. And, I think that is exciting for India," he said. The US envoy said he has described that India "loves geometric diplomacy" -- triangles, squares, quadrilaterals. "The multilaterals you can get last, in places like the UN right now, which are important, convenient spaces... But, they are just divided as the world. Bilateral is really helpful but there is a limit to bilateralism sometimes," he said.

"So, I think there is really a shared, sort of principles. During discussions I had with National Security Advisor (Ajit) Doval, he said, 'it's not just strategy, it is not just affinity'. We do think alike, our hearts do feel alike. But, it is really about ideology in this moment when there is extremism, whether it is religious extremism, whether it is dictatorship versus democracies," he said.

During the interaction, Garcetti underlined that "we can get hung up on the ideas, that the narcissism of small differences, the few areas, where we are looking, maybe at democratic values, sometimes differently, divide us. But, the reality is we are very deeply united." And, the UK will be included in that even though the UK is not part of the Quad, he said, adding, "We share, I think these moments, these intersections, that will define not just forms of governance, but what happens with technology, trade, and economic prosperity." Australian High Commissioner Green, also responded to a question on AUKUS -- the trilateral security agreement among Australia, the UK and the US -- and why India was "hesitant to join a military bloc".

"India has a very long history of finding its own ways in global affairs. For a country like Australia, close partnerships with our neighbours and friends from far away have been part of what we have always been. India finding new ways of making its way in the world, strategic autonomy and multi-dimensional partnerships," he said. So, it is really for India to decide where it fits into these partnerships, Green said.

"For us, the Quad tries to deal with a region which is increasingly contested, where democracy is under threat, where countries are increasingly unable to pursue their sovereignty in the way they want, that they get forced into choices they would not prefer, and economic coercion is a feature," he said.