Padmesh Prabhune –
India is to host the inaugural symposium of MAITRI a new regional Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific to enable its partners in the region to maximize tools provided through the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) and other Quad partner initiatives, to monitor and secure their waters, enforce their laws, and deter unlawful behaviour.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan, and President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. of the United States—met for the fourth in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit, hosted by President Biden in Wilmington, Delaware last Sunday.
The MAITRI initiative is one of the major outcomes (for the maritime sector) of the meetings along with deliberations on various other issues. This initiative aims to improve interoperability and maritime safety, advancing cooperation among member countries.
The four leaders in their joint statement called The Wilmington Declaration stated, “As four leading maritime democracies in the Indo-Pacific, we unequivocally stand for the maintenance of peace and stability across this dynamic region, as an indispensable element of global security and prosperity.
“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 Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) and other Quad partner initiatives, to monitor and secure their waters, enforce their laws, and deter unlawful behaviour.
“We look forward to India hosting the inaugural MAITRI workshop in 2025. 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.
We are also announcing today that the U.S. 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.
“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.
“In 2025, we intend to hold a Quad Regional Ports and Transportation Conference, hosted by India in Mumbai.”
Over the past four years, Quad Leaders have met together six times, including twice virtually, and Quad Foreign Ministers have met eight times in the last five years.
– Marex Media