New Delhi [India], March 12 (ANI): Leaders of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) on Friday held a discussion on regional issues of importance to the members which pertained to the Indo-Pacific region.
Addressing a press conference after the first Quad summit meeting held virtually, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said there was a “candid exchange of views”.
“There was a discussion on regional issues of importance to the Quad members, which pertained to the Indo-Pacific region. I cannot specifically tell you which issues were discussed and what was the nature of those discussions for obvious reasons because these are confidential discussions, closed discussions between leaders of our countries,” he said.
He was answering a query about recent tensions between India and China in Ladakh due to the actions of the Chinese Army.
“There was a discussion on a number of issues that were important in the geopolitical context in the fast-changing context of the Indo-Pacific. (There was) a candid exchange of views. Leaders were on the same page on the importance of having a greater sense of consultations on issues that were of common interests to all our countries,” he added.
India and China have completed the disengagement process from both the north and south banks of Pangong Lake following several rounds of military and diplomatic discussions.
Quad leaders agree to create working groups on vaccine, critical technologies, climate actions
The leaders of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) on Friday agreed to set up three working groups to facilitate vaccine distribution and innovative technologies and to strengthen climate actions globally.
Addressing a press conference after the first Quad summit meeting held virtually, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said India looks forward to being a part of all these working groups.
“The leaders agreed to the creation of three working groups – a vaccine expert working group to implement our path-breaking commitment to safe and effective vaccine distribution, a critical and emerging technology working group to facilitate cooperation on international working standards and innovative technologies of the future and a climate working group to strengthen climate actions globally on mitigation, adaptation, resilience, technology building capacity and climate finance,” Shringla said.
“I have already spoken on vaccines, frontier technologies and their safe and judicious use for the security and prosperity of all and advancing the effort against climate change in every possible manner. We welcome the opportunity to cooperate even more closely with our Quad partners in these areas that have been identified,” he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, United States President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison attended the meeting. The meeting was hosted by the US.
Shringla said during the discussions, there was a wholesome appreciation by the other leaders of India’s role in providing vaccines to 70 countries all over the world under the Vaccine Maitri initiative.
The leaders agreed on a Quad vaccine initiative to ramp up manufacturing and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines in the Indo-Pacific region.
Shringla said additional capacities will not in any manner affect domestic vaccine production.
“Our additional capacities that are being created, will not in any manner affecting our domestic vaccine production and roll out. In a sense, the Quad initiative builds on the Vaccine Maitri initiative, which has been very successful and it is evidence that Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat are reliable contributors to global supply chains and augment global availability of critical commodities and products.”
He also said that the four leaders talked about an in-person meeting later this year, which may be on the margins of a summit where all four leaders are present.
US COVID-19 vaccines to be manufactured in India
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Friday confirmed that US COVID-19 vaccines will be manufactured in India, adding that they would be financed by the US and Japan with logistical support from Australia.
Speaking at a special Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) briefing, he said: “US vaccines will be manufactured in India. India‘s manufacturing capabilities and capacities have been recognised in this regard. Each of the other three Quad leaders made it a point to talk about the Vaccine Maitri programme, our endeavour to supply vaccines all over the world despite our own requirements. I think this is being seen as an important initiative to address COVID-19 and put the pandemic behind us.”
Shringla further stressed that India‘s manufacturing capacity is going to be leveraged to create US vaccines, which would be financed by the US and Japan.
“You’ll have Australia contributing for last-mile and logistical delivery issues. In other words, Australia will also finance countries that are going to receive these vaccines,” he added.
The Foreign Secretary also disclosed an ambitious target of producing a billion COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2022.
“We are talking about producing a billion doses of vaccines by the end of 2022. It is an ambitious target. If you look at the fact that vaccines all over the world are limited to a few hundred million, a billion is a fairly large number. This is both an ambitious and much-needed initiative that the Quad is undertaking,” he said.
During the Quad meeting, future pandemics were also discussed and how the group will deal with them.
“The Quad does not stand against something; it stands for something. It stands for something which is positive, in the realm for consideration for others,” he also said.
Vaccine initiative most pressing, valuable takeaway of Quad summit: Foreign Secretary Shringla
Noting that the vaccine initiative “is the most pressing and valuable” among the concrete takeaways of the first summit meeting of Quad leaders, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Friday said that the four-member countries of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue have agreed to pool their financial resources, manufacturing capabilities and logistics to ramp up the manufacture and distribution of COVID19 vaccines in the Indo-Pacific region.
Addressing a press conference after Quad summit meeting held virtually, Shringla said the aim is to produce a billion doses by the end of 2022.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, United States President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison took part in the meeting. The meeting was hosted by the US.
“The four leaders have agreed to a plan to pool their financial resources, manufacturing capabilities and capacities and logistics so as to ramp up the manufacturing and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines in the Indo-Pacific region. We believe this will speed up the process of post-pandemic recovery and enable families and businesses to put the core of the COVID-19 crisis behind them and move towards normalisation,” Shringla said.
He added that the initiative was designed to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in the Indo-Pacific region.
“India welcomes this initiative as it recognises our own manufacturing capacities and capabilities, and we look forward to wholeheartedly participate in this endeavour. It is an example of human-centric international cooperation and globalisation, and a validation of our reputation as a reliable manufacturer of high-quality vaccines and pharmaceutical products during this COVID-19 crisis,” he said.
He said PM Modi stated that Quad is a partnership for global growth.
“Today’s summit saw the Quad leaders adopt a positive agenda and vision, focusing on contemporary issues such as vaccines, climate change and emerging technologies. At the summit the leaders sought to strengthen peace, stability and well being among the people of the Indo Pacific,” he said.
“Many of the objectives that were enunciated at the Quad summit are reflected in the concrete takeaways of the meeting, of which the Quad vaccine initiative is the most pressing and valuable, he added. (ANI)
