Ahead of QUAD summit, India calls for immediate cessation of hostilities in Ukraine

India on Saturday reiterated its call for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Ukraine as the war continued for its 88th day. Reiterating that the path of “diplomacy and dialogue” is the best policy to resolve the ongoing Russian invasion, India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra called for peace. New Delhi, which shares close ties with Moscow, is walking a tightrope between both the warring sides but has stayed firm on its call for peace in eastern Europe. 

This comes as  the fourth edition of the QUAD summit is scheduled to take place on May 24 in the Japanese capital city of Tokyo. Speaking about the same to media reporters, he said, “Our position on Ukraine is amply clear and has been reiterated many times. Right from the time when hostilities began in February, we asked for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the path of diplomacy and dialogue remains the best policy to move forward in this regard.” 

QUAD or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue is a strategic dialogue between the United States, India, Japan and Australia that was formed in 2007 with the initiative of the then Japanese PM Shinzo Abe. Asked if the group was expanding and including more members states, “Right now I don’t think there is any conversation going on over further expansion of it.” He further reckoned that the QUAD partnership, "seeks to structure a constructive agenda broad elements — fight against COVID-19 pandemic, its mitigation, efforts, how do we partner in the countries in region post covid recovery, and building the health security infrastructure going forward, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and working together to respond against the need of climate action."

PM Modi to hold bilateral talks

Indian PM Narendra Modi will attend the summit and he will hold meetings with three world leaders, US President Joe Biden, Australia's Prime Minister-elect Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. On the sidelines of the QUAD summit, he will hold bilateral talks with President Biden and his Japanese counterpart Kishida. PM Modi will also interact with over 30 Japanese CEOs. On May 23, PM will address a business summit and meet with the Indian diaspora in Tokyo. The QUAD Summit and bilateral talks will take place on May 24. As per his schedule, the PM will spend one night in Tokyo and two nights on the plane travelling.

(Image: AP)