'Recommitting To Promote Free, Open, Rules-based Order': Quad Leaders Issue Joint Statement

<p><strong>New Delhi:&nbsp;</strong>The heads of the Quad members Australia, India, Japan, and the United States took out a joint statement enumerating their commitment to their partnership and creating a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The statement which has been released during their first in-person summit held in the United States.</p> <p>It covers several significant issues including climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic. The Quad has also reiterated its commitment to Afghanistan and said that counter-terrorism activities will be bolstered.</p> <p><strong>ALSO READ: <span style="color: #e03e2d;"><a style="color: #e03e2d;" href="https://ift.tt/3CNQiYb Modi Claims Proof About Possible India-connection Of Biden. Here&rsquo;s What Leaders Joked</a></span></strong></p> <p><strong>Highlights of the joint statement</strong></p> <ul> <li>Quad members have said that they &lsquo;recommit to promoting the free, open, rules-based order&rsquo; in the Indo-pacific region. In their statement, they also said, &lsquo;We stand for the rule of law, freedom of navigation and overflight, peaceful resolution of disputes, democratic values, and territorial integrity of states.&rsquo;</li> <li>The current situation of Afghanistan was addressed in their statement and the Quad has said they will coordinate and support diplomatically. They have also assured that will &lsquo;deepen counter-terrorism and humanitarian cooperation in the months ahead.&rsquo;</li> <li>They have also reiterated their support to ASEAN countries, &lsquo;We reaffirm our strong support for ASEAN&rsquo;s unity and centrality and for ASEAN&rsquo;s Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, and we underscore our dedication towards working with ASEAN and its member states.&rsquo;</li> <li>The Quad also addressed the Covid-19 pandemic and said that through their &lsquo;Quad Vaccine Experts Group&rsquo; they have been able to mitigate pandemic diplomatically. They have also said that additional vaccine doses will also be produced by India later this year. &lsquo;Thanks to the Quad Vaccine Partnership&rsquo;s financing of increased manufacturing capacity at Biological E LTD, additional production in India will come online later this year,&rsquo; said the joint statement.</li> <li>The members have also written about strengthening their science and Technology (S&amp;T) cooperation especially in the area of &lsquo;clinical trials and genomic surveillance&rsquo; to further speed up efforts to end the pandemic.</li> <li>The Quad has also addressed the climate crisis and said the countries will work together to keep the Paris-aligned temperature limits within reach. They have said that efforts will be taken to limit temperature to 1.5&deg;C above pre-industrial levels and also update about the ambitious NDCs by COP26. They also reaffirmed their aim of achieving global net-zero emissions by 2050.</li> <li>The member countries have also decided to combat cyber threats together. In the statement, they said &lsquo;We begin new cooperation in cyberspace and pledge to work together to combat cyber threats, promote resilience, and secure our critical infrastructure.&rsquo;</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p>