New QUAD Takes Shape With Focus On Tech, Trade, Big Data
Oct 20, 2021
NEW DELHI: India, Israel, the UAE and the US sat down for their first “quadrilateral” meeting on Monday night, opening the way to a new geopolitical equation with closer cooperation on trade, technology, Big Data and maritime security in a region that has been volatile and riven with deep fault lines.
“A fruitful first meeting with Israeli APM and FM@- Yair Lapid, UAE FM@ABZayed and US Secretary of State @SecBlinken this evening,” foreign minister Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting.
Israel’s foreign minister and Jaishankar joined the meeting from Jerusalem while the others attended virtually from their countries.
Lapid was quoted saying later, “Around this virtual table, there is a unique set of capabilities, knowledge and experience that can be used to create the network that we all want to see created.”
“I think the word we’re looking for here is synergy, because this is what we’re going to try and create starting with this meeting.
Synergy that will help us work together on infrastructure, digital infrastructure, transport, maritime security and other things that preoccupy us all… The key to success is how quickly can we move from ‘government-to-government’ to ‘businesstobusiness’,” he added.
Jaishankar said, “Discussed working together more closely on economic growth and global issues. Agreed on expeditious follow-up.” In his brief comment, he said, “The three of you are among the closest relationships we have, if not the closest.” He added, “I think it is very clear that on the big issues of our times we all think very similarly and what would be helpful would be if we could agree on some practical things to work upon.”
The group discussed the possibility of working together on joint infrastructure projects. The meeting also deliberated on eachcountry appointing a senior level bureaucrat to be part of a joint working group to materialise these decisions. All four ministers promised to meet in person during the Dubai Expo in the coming months.
US state department spokesperson in a statement said and his three counterparts discussed expanding economic and political cooperation in and Asia.
“Blinken and the ministers also discussed people to people ties in technology and science, and how to support global public health in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic,” the statement said.
In his remarks, Blinken described Israel, the UAE and India as three of “our most strategic partners” and said that by “bringing friends together in new ways, we are making these partnerships even greater than the sum of their parts”.
Blinken added: “I think that is what this gathering is about. Sitting here in Washington I can say very simply that with Israel, the UAE and India we have three of our most strategic partners. And given so many overlapping interests — energy, climate, trade, regional security — this seems like a really good idea to try and use this new format.”
Courtesy: TOI