New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday underscored the Quad’s transformation into a “significant and substantive platform” for four major Indo-Pacific democracies while highlighting its role in upholding an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
In an address during the closing day of the Raisina Dialogue in the national capital, Jaishankar acknowledged the Quad’s emergence as a response to global necessities, emphasising that it has matured into a dynamic entity with creative, flexible, and nimble characteristics.
“You all know that in the last five years, Quad has become a significant and substantive platform for four large resident Indo-Pacific vibrant democracies, that are seeking to uphold an open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific,” he said speaking about the forum’s evolution at the ‘Quad Think Tank Forum’ session of the dialogue.
“Like any new mechanism or platform, the Quad too is a product of its times. It emerged from global necessities, faltered, for some time, due to a complexity of reasons and was then reincarnated with new governments and different circumstances. Shinzo Abe in Japan was, perhaps, an exception, which is a statement in itself,” Jaishankar added.
The Quad, Jaishankar emphasised, is actively working on building resilient supply chains in critical technologies, including telecom, cyber security, semiconductors, and AI. An Open RAN pilot is underway in Palau as part of these efforts. The Quad countries have collectively announced over 1800 ‘Infrastructure Fellowships’ to enhance the understanding of policymakers and technical experts about infrastructure projects in the Indo-Pacific, he added.
Jaishankar also underscored the Quad’s commitment to delivering public goods in the Indo-Pacific through discussions on deploying digital public infrastructure. The Quad, in just half a decade, has matured into a mechanism that is contributing significantly to the region’s stability and prosperity.
Raisina Dialogue is India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community.