Senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs of India, Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade of Australia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and Department of State of the United States of America interacted through a video
conference on18 December 2020.
The meeting provided an opportunity to follow up on the last such official level discussions in September 2020, and the Ministerial Meeting of 6 October 2020 in Tokyo. The officials exchanged views on regional and global issues of common interest. They also
reviewed ongoing and proposed practical cooperation in the areas of connectivity and infrastructure development, and security issues, including counter-terrorism, cyber security, maritime security, humanitarian and disaster relief, with the objective of promoting
peace, security, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
In the context of the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic, the officials underscored the importance of enhancing the resilience of supply chains for an expeditious and sustainable global economic recovery. They also highlighted the need to ensure safe, effective
and affordable access to Covid-19 vaccines.
The officials reaffirmed their commitment towards a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region based on shared values and principles and respect for international law especially the UNCLOS.
They appreciated the Vietnamese chairmanship of the ASEAN and expressed satisfaction with the outcomes of the 15th East Asia Summit held in November this year. The officials reiterated their firm support for ASEAN-Centrality and ASEAN-led mechanisms particularly
the leaders-led East Asia Summit, in the regional architecture for the Indo-Pacific, and their readiness to work with ASEAN and all other countries towards realizing a common and promising vision for the Indo-Pacific.
New Delhi
December 18, 2020
Click here for Urdu version
Click here for Bengali version
Click here for Gujarati version
Click here for Kannada version
Click here for Malayalam version
Click here for Odia version
Click here for Punjabi version
Click here for Tamil version
Click here for Telugu version
Click here for Assamese version