Wilmington: Reaffirming their steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient, Quad countries on Saturday announced Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific" (MAITRI) to enable Indo-Pacific partners to maximize tools provided through Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) and other initiatives.

The Quad countries said they are proud to announce an ambitious expansion of their partnership to deliver trusted technology solutions to the broader Indo-Pacific region.

"Anchored by shared values, we seek to uphold the international order based on the rule of law. Together, we represent nearly two billion people and over one-third of global gross domestic product. We reaffirm our steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient," read the Wilmington Declaration Joint Statement released after the Quad Summit.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan, and President Joe Biden of the United States--met for the fourth in-person Quad Leaders Summit, hosted by President Biden in Wilmington, Delaware. Wilmington is Biden's home town.

"Through our cooperation, the Quad is harnessing all of our collective strengths and resources, from governments to the private sector to people-to-people relationships, to support the region's sustainable development, stability, and prosperity by delivering tangible benefits to the people of the Indo-Pacific," the statement said.

Four years since elevating the Quad to a leader-level format, the Quad is more strategically aligned than ever before and is a force for good that delivers real, positive, and enduring impact for the Indo-Pacific, it said.

"We celebrate the fact that over just four years, Quad countries have built a vital and enduring regional grouping that will buttress the Indo-Pacific for decades to come," the statement added.

Expressing serious concern over recent dangerous and aggressive actions in the maritime domain, the statement said that it unequivocally stands for the maintenance of peace and stability across this dynamic region, as an indispensable element of global security and prosperity.

"We strongly oppose any destabilizing or unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion. We condemn recent illicit missile launches in the region that violate UN Security Council resolutions," read the Wilmington Declaration.

The declaration further stressed that the Quad partners are united in their commitment to upholding a stable and open international system, with its strong support for human rights, the principle of freedom, rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and peaceful settlement of disputes and prohibition on the threat or use of force in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter.

"We express serious concern over recent dangerous and aggressive actions in the maritime domain. We seek a region where no country dominates and no country is dominated--one where all countries are free from coercion, and can exercise their agency to determine their futures," added the declaration.

The Quad leaders also announced that the US Coast Guard, Japan Coast Guard, Australian Border Force, and Indian Coast Guard, plan to launch a first-ever Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission in 2025, to improve interoperability and advance maritime safety, and continuing with further missions in future years across the Indo-Pacific.

"We also announce today the launch of a Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network pilot project, to pursue shared airlift capacity among our nations and leverage our collective logistics strengths, in order to support civilian response to natural disasters more rapidly and efficiently across the Indo-Pacific region," added the joint statement.

The Quad countries announced the Quad Cancer Moonshot, a groundbreaking partnership to save lives in the Indo-Pacific region.

"Building on the Quad's successful partnership during the COVID-19 pandemic, our collective investments to address cancer in the region, our scientific and medical capabilities, and contributions from our private and non-profit sectors, we will collaborate with partner nations to reduce the burden of cancer in the region," the statement said.

It said that in 2022, Quad countries announced the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) to offer near-real-time, integrated, and cost-effective maritime domain awareness information to partners in the region.

"Today we are announcing a new regional Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific (MAITRI), to enable our partners in the region to maximize tools provided through IPMDA and other Quad partner initiatives, to monitor and secure their waters, enforce their laws, and deter unlawful behavior. We look forward to India hosting the inaugural MAITRI workshop in 2025," the statement said.

"Furthermore, we welcome the launch of a Quad maritime legal dialogue to support efforts to uphold the rules-based maritime order in the Indo-Pacific. In addition, Quad partners intend to layer new technology and data into IPMDA over the coming year, to continue to deliver cutting edge capability and information to the region," it added.

The statement said that the leaders are pleased to announce the Quad Ports of the Future Partnership, which will harness the Quad's expertise to support sustainable and resilient port infrastructure development across the Indo-Pacific, in collaboration with regional partners.

"In 2025, we intend to hold a Quad Regional Ports and Transportation Conference, hosted by India in Mumbai. Through this new partnership, Quad partners intend to coordinate, exchange information, share best practices with partners in the region, and leverage resources to mobilize government and private sector investments in quality port infrastructure across the Indo-Pacific region."

"We applaud the expansion of the Quad Infrastructure Fellowships to more than 2,200 experts, and note that Quad partners have already provided well over 1,300 fellowships since the initiative was announced at last year's Summit. We also appreciate the workshop organized by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure in India, working to empower partners across the Indo-Pacific to strengthen power sector resilience," it added.

The statement said that through the Quad Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience, the Quad countries continue to support and strengthen quality undersea cable networks in the Indo-Pacific, the capacity, durability, and reliability of which are inextricably linked to the security and prosperity of the region and the world.

"In support of these efforts, Australia launched the Cable Connectivity and Resilience Centre in July, which is delivering workshops and policy and regulatory assistance in response to requests from across the region."

The statement said that investments in cable projects by Quad partners will help support all Pacific island countries in achieving primary telecommunication cable connectivity by the end of 2025.

"Since the last Quad Leaders' Summit, Quad partners have committed over USD140 million to undersea cable builds in the Pacific, alongside contributions from other likeminded partners. Complementing these investments in new undersea cables, India has commissioned a feasibility study to examine expansion of undersea cable maintenance and repair capabilities in the Indo-Pacific," the statement said

"We reaffirm our support for the Pacific Quality Infrastructure Principles, which are an expression of Pacific voices on infrastructure. We underscore our commitment to an inclusive, open, sustainable, fair, safe, reliable and secure digital future to advance our shared prosperity and sustainable development across the Indo-Pacific. In this context, we welcome the Quad Principles for Development and Deployment of Digital Public Infrastructure," it added.

The statement said that through the Advancing Innovations for Empowering NextGen Agriculture (AI-ENGAGE) initiative announced at last year's Summit, Quad governments are deepening leading-edge collaborative research to harness artificial intelligence, robotics, and sensing to transform agricultural approaches and empower farmers across the Indo-Pacific.

"We are pleased to announce an inaugural USD 7.5+ million in funding opportunities for joint research, and welcome the recent signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between our science agencies to connect our research communities and advance shared research principles."

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