Respect for sovereignty & territorial integrity underpin development of Indo-Pacific, say Quad foreign ministers
sovereignty and territorial integrity underpin the development of the Indo-Pacific region and expressed serious concern on the militarisation of disputed features, the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels, and efforts to disrupt other countries' offshore exploitation activities.
The Quad or the Quadrilateral coalition is a plurilateral framework comprising India, Australia, Japan and the US formed in 2017 to counter China's aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region.
Foreign ministers of the four-nation bloc — External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko — met on the margins of the high-level 78th session of the UN General Assembly for the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting and reaffirmed their commitment to uphold the principles of the UN Charter.
«We reaffirm our conviction that international law, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the maintenance of peace and security in the maritime domain underpin the development and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific,» a joint readout of the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting said.
The ministers emphasised that disputes should be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law, without threat or use of force.
«We emphasise the importance of adherence to international law, particularly as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to address challenges to the global maritime rules-based order, including with respect to maritime claims, and in the South and East China Seas,» they said in the joint statement.
The ministers emphasised the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation and
