Tokyo summit: Quad condemns terror, to work on space apps
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Australian PM Anthony Albanese and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida on Tuesday joined forces to cooperate on a range of issues — from condemning terrorism to space research and debt management to vaccines.
The leaders condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all forms and manifestations, and all terrorist attacks, including 26/11 Mumbai and Pathankot attacks, the Quad leaders’ joint statement said.
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Underlining that there can be no justification for acts of terror, it said, “We condemn unequivocally terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations.”
The Quad leaders denounced the use of terrorist proxies and emphasised the importance of denying any logistical, financial or military support to terror groups which can be used to launch or plan terror attacks, including cross-border attacks, it said, without naming any country. “We reiterate our condemnation of terrorist attacks, including 26/11 Mumbai and Pathankot attacks,” the leaders stated.
In the joint statement, the Quad leaders also reaffirmed UNSC Resolution 2593 (2021), which demands that Afghanistan’s territory must never again be used to threaten or attack any country or to shelter or train terrorists, or finance terror attacks.
“We emphasise the importance of upholding international standards on anti-money laundering and combating financing of terrorism by all countries, consistent with FATF recommendations,” it stated. “We reaffirm that in our fight against global terrorism, we will take concerted action against all terrorist groups, including those individuals and entities designated pursuant to the UNSC Resolution 1267(1999).”
On cybersecurity, Quad leaders recognised an urgent need to take a collective approach to enhancing cybersecurity.
The Quad countries will work together to develop space applications, including in the area of earth observations, and provide capacity-building support to countries in the region, including with regards to partnering on using space capabilities to respond to extreme precipitation events.
The leaders said the Quad remains focused on harnessing critical and emerging technologies to enhance prosperity and security of the region.
The Quad leaders committed to working closely with partners and the region to drive public and private investment to bridge gaps. To achieve this, the Quad will seek to extend more than $50 billion of infrastructure assistance and investment in the Indo-Pacific over the next five years.
“We will work to strengthen capacities of the countries in need to cope with debt issues under the G20 Common Framework and by promoting debt sustainability and transparency in close collaboration with finance authorities of relevant countries, including through the “Quad Debt Management Resource Portal,” which consists of multiple bilateral and multilateral capacity building assistance.
The Quad leaders committed to getting ahead of Covid-19 by strengthening the global health architecture, including by enhancing finance and bolstering ongoing science and technology cooperation. To date, the Quad partners have collectively pledged approximately $5.2 billion to the COVAX AMC, approximately 40 per cent of total contributions from government donors, it said.
“We are proud to have delivered over 670 million doses, including at least 265 million doses to the Indo-Pacific,” the statement said.
