Quad Foreign Ministers’ meet today, Indo-Pacific region on agenda

India is hosting a Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting in New Delhi today, March 3. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will chair the meeting on Friday, while the Foreign Minister of Australia, the Foreign Minister of Japan, and the Secretary of State of the United States of America will participate.

It comes as an opportunity for the ministers to continue their discussions held at their last meeting in New York in September 2022. The foreign ministers will exchange views on recent developments in the Indo-Pacific region and regional issues of mutual interest, guided by their vision of a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific, according to the news agency ANI. 

In the meeting, they will also review progress made by the Quad in pursuit of its constructive agenda and implementation of initiatives to address contemporary priorities of the region.

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Foreign Affairs Minister of Japan Hayashi Yoshimasa, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will participate in the Quad Summit.

Earlier in February, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad comprising India, the United States, Japan, and Australia launched a public campaign 'Quad Cyber Challenge' to improve cyber security across their nations. It invited Internet users across the Indo-Pacific and beyond to become part of the challenge and practice "safe and responsible cyber habits. 

The 'Quad Cyber Challenge' shows the continuous efforts of Quad nations to bolster cyber security awareness and action and to foster a more secure and resilient cyber ecosystem to benefit economies and users, ANI reported.

In an official statement, the National Security Council Secretariat said that internet users are being invited across the Indo-Pacific and beyond to join the challenge and pledge to practice safe and responsible cyber habits. 

“The Challenge reflects the continuing Quad efforts to strengthen individuals' and communities' cyber security awareness and action, as well as to foster a more secure and resilient cyber ecosystem to benefit economies and users everywhere,” it further stated. 

After the Quad Senior Cyber Group meeting in New Delhi on January 30 and 31, the Group said it was working on identifying best security practices for software services and products and minimum critical infrastructure cyber security requirements.

The Group also endorsed the Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI) efforts (of which Quad countries are members) to drive international cooperation and joint action to tackle ransomware including through information and intelligence exchanges, sharing best practices regarding policy and legal authority frameworks, and collaboration between law enforcement and cyber authorities to conduct counter ransomware activities, it added. 

(With ANI inputs)