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A two-day meeting of top Quad officials was held in New Delhi where the representatives from Australia, India, Japan and the US discussed regional and global developments.
Senior Officials from the foreign ministries of the four countries met on September 5-6 and reaffirmed their vision for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. "Quad Senior Officials Meeting held on 5-6 Sep 2022 in New Delhi. Senior Officials from the Foreign Ministries of Australia, India, Japan and USA discussed regional and global developments, reaffirming their vision for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a tweet. "They also reviewed ongoing cooperation and progress of initiatives announced under the Quad Framework," he added. This latest meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue comes in the backdrop of the Joint Leaders' summit that took place in Japan in May this year. The head of states of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States renewed their steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient. Just over one year ago, leaders of the four countries including Prime Minister Narendra Modi met for the first time. During the summit in Tokyo, they convened their fourth meeting, and second in person. They held the key meeting and demonstrated, at a time of profound global challenge, that the Quad is a force for good, committed to bringing tangible benefits to the region. "In our first year of cooperation, we established the Quad's dedication to a positive and practical agenda; in our second year, we are committed to deliver on this promise, making the region more resilient for the 21st century," a joint statement had said. The grouping had also expressed support for the principles of freedom, rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes without resorting to threat or use of force, any unilateral attempt to change the status quo. They also spoke in favour of freedom of navigation and overflight, all of which are essential to the peace, stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region and to the world. (ANI)
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