New Delhi: India has said the Quad has “no link” to the new security partnership between Australia, the UK and the US (AUKUS), adding that they are not groupings of a similar nature.
There is also no link between the Quad, an initiative of India, the US, Australia and Japan, and the Malabar naval exercise, which involves the same four countries, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said at a press briefing Tuesday, where he announced details of PM Narendra Modi’s upcoming US trip.
Modi is visiting the US from 22 to 25 September. His itinerary includes the first-ever in-person Quad summit, to be held on 24 September. The Quad leaders had earlier met virtually in March this year.
All four Quad countries have been participating in the Malabar naval exercise, which began as an India-US initiative in 1992, since 2020.
India Tuesday rejected the idea that Malabar is the security aspect of the Quad, which is more of a diplomatic forum.
“There is no link between the Malabar exercise and the Quad, as there is no link between AUKUS and Quad… Malabar is an exercise that is done between nations but has nothing to do with Quad,” the foreign secretary said.
The Quad has “come a long way”, Shringla added, saying it is “an evolving process” that is now in the initial stages of its functioning. He called it a “strategic outreach” to work more closely with Indo-Pacific countries.
He also refuted claims that the announcement of AUKUS last week dilutes the agenda of the Quad.
“Let me make it clear that Quad and AUKUS are not groupings of a similar nature… The Quad is a plurilateral grouping, a group of countries that have a shared vision of their attributes and values. They also have a shared vision of the Indo-Pacific as a free, open, transparent and inclusive region,” Shringla said.
The Quad, he added, “has adopted a positive, proactive agenda, a wide array of initiatives at the global level to address some of the issues of the day”.
“This includes dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, the supply of vaccines to the Indo-Pacific region, working on emerging technologies — all designed to cater to the needs of the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.
AUKUS, meanwhile, is a “security alliance” between three countries, Shringla added.
“We are not party to this alliance. From our perspective, it is neither relevant to the Quad nor will it have any impact on its functioning,” he said.
Speaking about the Quad summit, Shringla said India will extend its vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific at the meeting with US President Joe Biden, Australia PM Scott Morrison and Japan PM Yoshihide Suga.
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Modi and Biden bilateral meet
Apart from the Quad summit, PM Modi will, on 24 September, also hold his first in-person bilateral meeting with Joe Biden since he was sworn in as US President this January.
Modi and Biden have met before, in 2014 and in 2016, when the latter was Vice-President to Barack Obama.
According to Shringla, Modi’s visit will be key in terms of bolstering defence and security, business and economic ties between the two countries, thereby further deepening their strategic partnership.
In order to take their defence ties to the next level, India and the US have started co-production of defence items, he said.
“As you know, India is now producing many components of US aircraft and US defence items in India… We have had access to some very important equipment from our perspective. There’s a greater level of interoperability that has been achieved and we have every reason to be satisfied with the level of defence engagement with the US,” Shringla said.
“It’s a partnership based on mutuality of requirements, and at the same time, it is now graduating to a level where we can co-produce and co-innovate together,” he added.
The foreign secretary also referred to the fact that India has been granted the status of a ‘Major Defence Partner’ of the US, having been given access to sensitive technology under STA Level-1 (strategic trade authorisation Level 1), and that both countries have signed the three defence pacts that are required for interoperability.
These are the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), the Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA), and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA).
Shringla said the focus this time will be on “operationalising” the defence foundation pacts that the countries have signed.
In terms of economic ties, Shringla added, both sides will discuss how to make further progress in two-way trade, which currently stands at around $150 billion. Talks on a trade pact, which was under discussion with the Donald Trump administration as well, are yet to take place under the Biden administration, he said.
Modi will be accompanied by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Shringla on his US trip. The Prime Minister will also be addressing the UN General Assembly on 25 September.
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
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