Singapore, Oct 13 (IANS) The Quad grouping officials from India, Japan, Australia and the United States on Tuesday vowed to defend and deter cyber threats while reaffirming their shared emphasis on enhancing regional resilience and capacity to determine their own paths under the updated Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP).
The discussions took place during the Japan-Australia-India-US (Quad) Cyber Senior Officials’ Meeting in Singapore on Tuesday, according to a statement released by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ambassador in charge of Cyber Policy in Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Takaba Yo; Assistant Secretary for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Tori Lamb; Joint Secretary (Cyber Diplomacy, e-Governance and Information Technology) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Senior Bureau Official for the Bureau of Emerging Threats at the US Department of State, Joshua Young attended the meeting.
“The four parties reaffirmed their shared emphasis on enhancing regional resilience and capacity to determine their own paths under the updated ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ (FOIP) and exchanged views on cooperation to strengthen cyber capabilities in the region and to defend against and deter cyber threats. The four parties confirmed that they will continue close cooperation in the cyber domain,” Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentioned in a statement.
Quad brings together four countries – India, Australia, Japan, and the United States, with a commitment to work as a force for global good and to support an open, free, and inclusive Indo-Pacific that is prosperous and resilient.
Last month, senior officials from India, the United States, Japan and Australia reviewed cooperation on maritime security, critical technologies and economic security.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri hosted the Quad Sherpas’ meeting in New Delhi, where the US was represented by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor; Australia was represented by Elly Lawson, a deputy secretary in its foreign ministry, while Japan sent Senior Deputy Foreign Minister Hiroyuki Namazu.
“The Sherpas reviewed progress across ongoing Quad initiatives and discussed ways to further strengthen practical cooperation, with a shared commitment to advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the State Department said.
The discussions covered maritime and transnational security, economic prosperity and security, critical and emerging technologies, and humanitarian assistance and emergency response. The officials also exchanged views on developments in the Indo-Pacific and the wider regional and global situation.
“The Quad Sherpas reaffirmed the importance of focussing on concrete, action-oriented initiatives,” the State Department said.
In July, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio participated in the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila.
The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and underlined their strong support for ASEAN’s unity and centrality in the region. In a joint statement, EAM Jaishankar, Wong, Motegi and Rubio underscored the Quad’s strong resolve for the Indo-Pacific region’s prosperity and its cooperation with ASEAN and its member states.
–IANS
akl/as