Wilmington Declaration: Quad Leaders Commit To Peace, Stability, Strategic Alliance In Indo-Pacific As 'Force For Good...'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Quad countries, consisting Australia, India, Japan and the United States, in their 'The Wilmington Declaration Joint Statement' on September 21, said the grouping is“a force for good” and“more strategically aligned than ever”.

The fourth Quad Summit was hosted by US President Joe Biden in his home town of Wilmington, Delaware, and was attended by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indian PM Narendra Modi, and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida.

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“Four years since elevating the Quad to a leader-level format, the Quad is more strategically aligned than ever before and is a force for good that delivers real, positive, and enduring impact for the Indo-Pacific,” the Wilmington Declaration stated.

“We celebrate the fact that over just four years, Quad countries have built a vital and enduring regional grouping that will buttress the Indo-Pacific for decades to come. As four leading maritime democracies in the Indo-Pacific, we unequivocally stand for the maintenance of peace and stability across this dynamic region, as an indispensable element of global security and prosperity,” it added.

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The grouping, in a unnamed reference to China , said it“strongly opposed destabilising or unilateral actions” that would upend the region's status quo by force or coercion.

“As four leading maritime democracies in the Indo-Pacific, we unequivocally stand for the maintenance of peace and stability across this dynamic region, as an indispensable element of global security and prosperity. We strongly oppose any destabilizing or unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion,” the statement read.

It also condemned“recent illicit missile launches in the region” and expressed“serious concern” over aggressions in the Indo-Pacific.“We seek a region where no country dominates and no country is dominated-one where all countries are free from coercion, and can exercise their agency to determine their futures. We are united in our commitment to upholding a stable and open international system, with its strong support for human rights, the principle of freedom , rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and peaceful settlement of disputes and prohibition on the threat or use of force in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter,” it added.

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