PM Modi stresses for free, open, inclusive Indo-Pacific in his first address to Quad partners in US

The sixth Quad Summit is being hosted by US President Joe Biden, and is attended by the Prime Ministers of Australia Anthony Albanese, and of Japan Fumio Kishida besides PM Modi.

In his address, the Prime Minister thanked President Biden for hosting the Summit and for his personal commitment to strengthen the Quad as a force for global good.

PM Modi stated that at a time when the world is ridden with tensions and conflicts, the coming together of Quad partners, with shared democratic ethos and values, is important for humanity.

He emphasized that the group stood for upholding the international order based on the rule of law, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and with a commitment to pursue peaceful resolution of disputes.

"At such a time, it is important for all of humanity that the members of the Quad move forward based on shared democratic values. We are not against anybody. All of us support rules-based international order, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and peaceful resolution of all disputes. A free, open, inclusive, and prosperous Indo-Pacific is our shared priority and shared commitment," he told the Quad leaders.

He underlined that the Quad was here to stay, to assist, to partner and to complement the efforts of Indo-Pacific countries.

Reiterating that the Quad remains a "force for global good,” the leaders made the following announcements to address the development priorities of the Indo-Pacific region and of the global community as a whole:

* "Quad Cancer Moonshot”, a groundbreaking partnership to save lives in the Indo-Pacific region by combating cervical cancer.

* "Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific” (MAITRI) to enable Indo-Pacific partners to maximize tools provided through IPMDA and other Quad initiatives.

* First-ever "Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission” in 2025 to improve interoperability and advance maritime safety.

* "Quad Ports of the Future Partnership” which will harness the Quad’s collective expertise to support sustainable and resilient port infrastructure development across the Indo-Pacific.

* "Quad Principles for Development and Deployment of Digital Public Infrastructure” in the region and beyond.

* A "Semiconductor Supply Chains Contingency Network Memorandum of Cooperation” to enhance resilience of Quad’s semiconductor supply chains.

* Collective Quad effort to boost energy efficiency, including deployment and manufacturing of high-efficiency affordable cooling systems in the Indo-Pacific region.

* India’s establishment of a space-based web portal for Mauritius, to support the concept of open science for space-based monitoring of extreme weather events and climate impact.

* A new sub-category under the Quad STEM Fellowship, announced by India, for students of the Indo-Pacific region to pursue a 4-year bachelor’s level engineering programme at a Government of India funded technical institute.

The leaders welcomed the next hosting of the Quad Leaders’ Summit by India in 2025.

To take the Quad agenda forward, they adopted the Quad Wilmington Declaration.

PM Modi arrived in the US hours earlier on a three-day visit and held bilateral talks with President Biden at his Delaware home.

The talks were extremely fruitful, PM Modi said in a post after the meeting.

During his visit, the Prime Minister will also address the Summit of the Future at the UN General Assembly in New York and interact with Indian expatriates and American business leaders.