QUAD Leaders Summit to Announce Expansion of Maritime Pact to Indian Ocean Region

Updated: Saturday, September 21, 2024, 3:09 [IST]

The
QUAD
summit
is
set
to
broaden
the
Indo-Pacific
Partnership
for
Maritime
Domain
Awareness
(IPMDA)
from
Southeast
Asia
to
the
Indian
Ocean
Region,
according
to
the
White
House.
This
expansion
aims
to
enhance
maritime
security
by
monitoring
illegal
activities
at
sea.
The
QUAD
leadership
summit
will
commence
on
Saturday
in
Wilmington,
Delaware,
with
participation
from
India,
the
US,
Japan,
and
Australia.

Representative
image

A
senior
administration
official
revealed
that
a
formal
announcement
regarding
this
expansion
will
occur
in
Wilmington
on
Saturday.
The
initiative
was
initially
launched
at
the
QUAD
Leaders
Summit
in
Tokyo
two
years
ago.
The
expanded
partnership
will
incorporate
advanced
technologies
and
new
training
programmes
to
improve
maritime
domain
awareness.

Focus
on
Maritime
Security

Another
senior
official
highlighted
that
expanding
the
IPMDA
into
the
Indian
Ocean
offers
opportunities
for
increased
coordination
between
Australia
and
India
with
other
regional
partners.
This
collaboration
aims
to
strengthen
maritime
security
and
enhance
cooperation
in
the
Indian
Ocean
region.

The
QUAD’s
origins
lie
in
responding
to
humanitarian
disasters.
The
member
countries
possess
significant
logistical
capabilities
in
air
and
sea
operations
to
address
such
emergencies.
An
official
expressed
satisfaction
with
plans
to
pilot
new
initiatives
next
year,
enabling
closer
collaboration
in
logistics
and
disaster
response.

Strengthening
Democratic
Ties

Responding
to
inquiries
about
the
QUAD’s
future,
an
official
expressed
confidence
in
its
long-term
prospects
as
a
coalition
of
like-minded
democracies.
“We
are,
of
course,
four
leading
democracies
and
political
change
is
baked
into
the
cake,” the
official
stated.

US
President
Joe
Biden
will
host
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
of
India,
Prime
Minister
Anthony
Albanese
of
Australia,
and
Prime
Minister
Kishida
Fumio
of
Japan
for
the
fourth
in-person
Quad
Leaders’
Summit
on
Saturday,
September
21.
This
gathering
underscores
the
commitment
of
these
nations
to
work
together
on
shared
challenges.

The
summit
will
also
introduce
enhanced
logistics
cooperation
among
QUAD
members.
This
development
aims
to
improve
their
collective
ability
to
respond
effectively
to
humanitarian
crises
and
other
challenges
requiring
coordinated
efforts.

The
expansion
of
the
IPMDA
signifies
a
strategic
move
towards
greater
maritime
security
cooperation
among
QUAD
nations.
By
integrating
new
technologies
and
training
programmes,
the
partnership
seeks
to
create
a
more
comprehensive
maritime
domain
picture.

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