US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday heaped praise on India and other members of the Quad grouping as he underscored their contributions to the global GDP.
India, Japan, Australia and the US are members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, an Indo-Pacific alliance.
During his India visit, Rubio addressed the key Quad foreign ministers’ meeting alongside India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.
Rubio said that the countries part of the grouping represent about a third of the world’s GDP. “The stage today represented countries that collectively are about a third of the world’s GDP, over almost 2 billion people,” Rubio said.
He also emphasised how the member nations not only have economic contributions to the world but also shared “strong values, strong vibrant democracies”, and are “committed to many of the same concepts with regards to economic development and have many aligned interests in those fields as well”.
60% global maritime through Indo-Pacific
At a time when shipping for several countries remains affected due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Marco Rubio also highlighted the importance of maritime security.
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“The reason why maritime security is so important, beyond the fact that current events remind us of what can happen when maritime security is impeded, is the fact that 60% of global maritime trade passes through the Indo-Pacific,” Rubio said, noting that maritime security is not just important of the Quad grouping members but for many other countries.
A surveillance initiative to integrate India, US, Japan and Australia’s surveillance capabilities and real-time information sharing was announced at the meet.
Member nations also took initiatives on port infrastructure and energy at a time when a spike in oil prices has left the world worried. “We’re announcing plans to work with Fiji to advance that country’s port infrastructure. It’ll be the first time that the Quad partners work together on a port infrastructure project,” Rubio said.
Rubio’s remarks on Iran during India visit
Marco Rubio made some important remarks on the future of a potential Iran-US agreement during his India visit. On Tuesday, Rubio said condemned the charging of toll for passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz and said that the chokepoint will reopen “one way or another”.
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“The strait needs to be open without tolls. What is happening there is unlawful, illegal, unsustainable and unacceptable. No country in the world is accepting of a tolling system except Iran,” he said.
He also said that a resolution was likely over the next few days. He futher emphasised, “Either there is going to be a good deal, or there isn’t going to be one.”
(With ANI inputs)
