Quad launches MAITRI maritime initiative in Indo-Pacific; India to host first training workshop in 2025

The first MAITRI workshop will be hosted by India in 2025, said Nancy Izzo Jackson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs.

"We are also proud to announce a new regional maritime initiative for training in the Indo-Pacific or MAITRI with an inaugural symposium in 2025 that will be hosted by India," she said in a post on X, unveiling a key component of the Quad's maritime strategy.

The MAITRI initiative was among the major outcomes of the sixth summit level meeting of the Quad group of countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US. President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Delaware.

The initiative highlights the Quad's commitment to regional security and capacity building, particularly in the maritime domain.

It also builds on the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA), a previous initiative designed to deliver maritime domain awareness information to partners. With MAITRI, countries in the Indo-Pacific can better enforce their maritime laws and deter unlawful activities.

The Quad leaders expressed their deep concern over recent "dangerous and aggressive actions in the maritime domain," according to the Wilmington Declaration. They condemned illicit missile launches and affirmed their collective opposition to unilateral actions that threaten peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.

They emphasised the need for international cooperation and adherence to the rule of law, democratic values, and the peaceful settlement of disputes. Their commitment reflects the Quad's broader strategic alignment in the region, where they have become a force for maintaining global security.

Among the key initiatives announced was the Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission, scheduled to launch in 2025.

This initiative aims to improve interoperability and maritime safety, advancing cooperation among member countries.

Additionally, the Quad introduced the Indo-Pacific Logistics Network pilot project to bolster disaster response capabilities through shared airlift capacity and logistics resources.

These initiatives complement previous Quad efforts in the Indo-Pacific, including underwater cable connectivity and disaster resilience projects. The Quad has invested over USD 140 million in underwater cable development to strengthen telecommunication networks in the Pacific. Such initiatives demonstrate the Quad's ongoing commitment to ensuring long-term peace, stability, and development in the Indo-Pacific region while helping partners manage maritime challenges effectively.

The Quad leaders also welcomed the launch of a Quad maritime legal dialogue to support efforts to uphold the rules-based maritime order in the Indo-Pacific.

Former indian Ambassador to the United States Meera Shankar said that the development is significant from India's point of view as earlier Chinese incursions have been on rise in the Indian Ocean close to the Indian territory.

"They (Quad leaders) have taken the decision to expand the maritime domain awareness programs to the Indian Ocean. Hitherto it was confined to the Pacific and the South China Sea and so on, but now it is being expanded to the Indian Ocean, and India will be making its own contributions in this process," Shankar told ANI.

"So that's very important from India's point of view because we've had concerns that Chinese military presence has not just been limited to the East China Sea or South China Sea. Increasingly, they have been making forays into the Indian Ocean in areas very close to India, including Sri Lanka. And this is obviously something of concern to us. So we are happy that the maritime domain awareness program is being extended to the Indian Ocean," Shankar said.

As per the Wilmington Declartion issued after the Quad Leaders' Summit in the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) was announcd in 2022 to offer near-real-time, integrated, and cost-effective maritime domain awareness information to partners in the region.

Since then, in consultation with partners, the US have successfully scaled the program across the Indo-Pacific region--through the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, with partners in Southeast Asia, to the Information Fusion Center--Indian Ocean Region, Gurugram.

In doing so, the Quad has helped over two dozen countries access dark vessel maritime domain awareness data, so they can better monitor the activities in their exclusive economic zones--including unlawful activity. (ANI)