4th Quad Ministerial Meeting

On 11^th February, 2022, the fourth Quad Ministerial Meeting was held in Melbourne, Australia.

• India's Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne, and Foreign Minister of Japan Yoshimasa Hayashi participated in the meeting.
• The Quad countries shared their respective perspectives on a wide range of issues in the meeting.
• A joint statement was released after the meeting.

Relevance of Quad for India: Post-COVID Diplomacy: The disruptions across the world offer an opportunity for India to take lead and become the world's manufacturing hub. The Quad can help India achieve this goal.

• India can leverage its expertise in the vaccine and pharma industry to increase its soft power.
• Countering China: Recent stand-offs on the Indo-China Border and the reluctance of Russia to step in and build pressure is forcing India to look for alternatives. In this context, the Quad is a viable platform for India.
• SAGAR: India under the SAGAR initiative has been acting as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean. Quad cooperation may give India access to multiple strategic locations for creating naval bases.
• Multipolar World: India has supported a rule-based multipolar world and Quad can help it in achieving its ambition of becoming a regional superpower.