Ukraine Focus Of Quad Leaders’ Meeting, PM Modi Stresses On Dialogue, Diplomacy
Mobilenews24x7 Bureau
New Delhi, Mar 3 : The developments in Ukraine were the focus of talks during a virtual meeting of Quad leaders on Thursday night, with PM Modi emphasizing India’s stand of dialogue and diplomacy as the way out, during discussions with The leaders of the US, Australia and Japan. The meeting between PM Modi, US President Joe Biden, Australian PM Scott Morrison, and PM Kishida Fumio of Japan, comes as India has consistently abstained during voting in the UN Security Council and the General Assembly, on resolutions condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The other three nations have voted for the UN resolutions and have slapped tough sanctions on Moscow. According to a PMO statement, “Developments in Ukraine were discussed in the meeting, including its humanitarian implications. The Prime Minister emphasised the need to return to a path of dialogue and diplomacy.” India has voiced concern over the deteriorating situation in Ukraine and its efforts at evacuating thousands of its citizens from the war-hit nation. While the meeting was closed to the media, the US in a statement said that Biden would hold a “secure video call with fellow Quad Leaders” ”to discuss the war against Ukraine and its implications for the Indo-Pacific”.
The PMO statement said that the leaders also discussed other topical issues, including developments in the ASEAN, the Indian Ocean region and the Pacific Islands. PM Modi reiterated the importance of adhering to the UN Charter, international law and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity — which is what India has been stating at the UN, during the resolutions on Ukraine. The statement said the meeting reviewed the progress on Quad initiatives since the September 2021 Quad Summit.
The leaders agreed on accelerating cooperation, with an objective to achieve concrete outcomes by the summit in Japan later this year. PM underlined that the Quad must remain focused on its core objective of promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. He called for concrete and practical forms of cooperation within the Quad, in areas like Humanitarian and Disaster Relief, debt sustainability, supply chains, clean energy, connectivity, and capacity-building. The leaders agreed to stay in touch and to work towards an ambitious agenda for the forthcoming Leaders’ Summit in Japan, the statement said. U
