Quad members announce setting up of counter-terrorism working group

The foreign ministers of Quad countries on Friday reaffirmed the grouping’s commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and said they strongly supported the rule of law, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and peaceful settlement of disputes, in comments seen as an oblique message to China.

After External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi, and Australia's Penny Wong met, it was announced that a Quad working group on counter-terrorism would be established to explore measures to counter new and emerging forms of terrorism, radicalisation, and violent extremism.

The ministers vowed to work closely to align and complement Quad’s agenda with Japan’s presidency of the G7, India’s presidency of the G20 and the US’ APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) “host year” in 2023.

Following the meeting, the four ministers attended a session at the Raisina Dialogue and spoke largely about the convergence of interests of the Quad member nations.

After meeting his counterparts from India, Japan, and Australia, Blinken said Russia cannot be allowed to wage war with impunity.  The Quad group, in a statement issued after the meeting, also said that the use, or threat of use, of nuclear weapons in Ukraine was “inadmissible”.

Late last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended a landmark nuclear arms control treaty and threatened to resume nuclear tests. “If we allow with impunity Russia to do what it’s doing in Ukraine, then that’s a message to would-be aggressors everywhere that they may be able to get away with it too,” Blinken told a forum in India, which was also attended by the Quad ministers.

In a joint statement, the ministers said the meeting reaffirmed the Quad’s “steadfast” commitment to supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive and resilient. The ministers also “unequivocally” condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and denounced the use of terrorist proxies and financial or military support to terrorist organisations which could be used to launch or plan terrorist attacks, including transnational and cross-border strikes.

They reiterated their condemnation of terrorist attacks, including 26/11 Mumbai strikes, which claimed lives of citizens from all Quad countries, and Pathankot attacks.

The foreign ministers said the Quad is acting as a "force for regional and global good", and it will be guided by the priorities of the Indo-Pacific region through its positive and constructive agenda.

In their statement, the Quad ministers also took a barely disguised swipe at China by denouncing actions that increase tensions in the South China Sea, and the “militarisation” of disputed territories in the area.

China has denounced the Quad as a Cold War construct and a clique “targeting other countries”. 

The group's title is the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, focused on strategic issues in the Indo-Pacific region.