In a significant development, the four-nation alliance known as the Quad announced on Monday an expansion of its Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) program into the Indian Ocean region
This expansion aims to enhance the monitoring of strategic waters in the area.
The announcement was made following a Quad foreign ministerial meeting, addressing concerns from New Delhi about China’s increasing activities in the Indian Ocean, a region traditionally considered the Indian Navy’s sphere of influence.
The Quad also announced efforts to expedite the operationalization of its South Asia program via India’s Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR).
Attendees of the meeting included External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, and Australia’s Penny Wong.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers reaffirmed the Quad’s commitment to promoting a free and open maritime order consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in both the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The statement emphasized enhancing collaboration with regional partners to achieve this goal.
“As part of these efforts, we plan to expand the geographical reach of the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) to include the Indian Ocean region,” the statement read.
“We are working towards the early operationalization of the South Asia program through the Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram, India. Additionally, we are incorporating effective technical cooperation in close consultation with regional partners,” the statement continued.
The IPMDA, which was initially announced in May 2022, enables partner countries to effectively monitor their coastal waters, ensuring regional peace and stability. The initiative provides data to counter illicit maritime activities and address climate-related and humanitarian challenges.
Established by the Indian Navy in 2018, the IFC-IOR aims to monitor shipping traffic and other critical developments in the region, working collaboratively with like-minded nations.
The foreign ministers noted that the Quad continues to advance the development of a “trusted, secure, and robust” telecommunications network and revealed plans to deploy Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN) in Palau, an island nation.
During a press conference, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar highlighted that the Quad is a platform for generating practical outcomes rather than just discussions.
“The Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness initiative, which emerged from the Quad today, connects information fusion centers. The Open-RAN network we’ve discussed extensively is being implemented in Palau,” he stated.
“A space-based climate warning system is set to launch soon in Mauritius, and off-grid solar projects are underway in the Indo-Pacific islands,” Jaishankar added.
He further explained that the core message is that “our four countries—each a democratic polity, pluralistic society, and market economy—are collaboratively working towards a free and open Indo-Pacific, a rules-based order, and global good.”
“This collaborative effort is a stabilizing force in an unpredictable and volatile world,” he remarked.
Without directly naming China, the Quad foreign ministers expressed deep concern over the situation in the East and South China Seas, reiterating their firm opposition to any “unilateral actions that seek to alter the status quo through force or coercion.”
“All nations have a role in fostering regional peace, stability, and prosperity. We seek a region where no country dominates or is dominated, competition is managed responsibly, and each nation is free from coercion in any form, enabling them to exercise their agency to determine their future,” the ministers stated.
The Quad reaffirmed its commitment to a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific—a region experiencing increased Chinese military assertiveness in recent years.
“We reiterate the Quad’s unwavering commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive and resilient. We are united in our dedication to upholding a free and open rules-based international order,” the statement concluded.
(With inputs from agency)
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