Washington/New Delhi, July 1 (UNI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today said that victims and perpetrators of terrorism must never be equated, and India will exercise the right to defend its people against terrorism, and that it expects the Quad partner nations to understand and appreciate this.
In his media remarks ahead of the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Washington, attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian FM Penny Wong and Japanese FM Takeshi Iwaya, the EAM said the Quad countries are all committed to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.
“To that end, our endeavours are devoted to promoting a rules-based international order. It is essential that nations of the Indo-Pacific have the freedom of choice, so essential to make right decisions on development and security,” in an oblique reference to China and its Belt and Road initiative that has many nations in its clutches.He said that over the past months they have made significant progress in Quad initiatives, which include the maritime domain, logistics, education and political coordination. He said the working of the Quad is being made more efficient through streamlining the Working Groups. “A more cohesive, nimble and focused Quad will certainly help deliver better.”“Quad is about deepening our convergence and expanding our common ground. I value our consultations on different dimensions of the Indo-Pacific in that regard.” “A word about terrorism in the light of our recent experience – the world must display zero tolerance. Victims and perpetrators must never be equated. And India has every right to defend its people against terrorism, and we will exercise that right. We expect our Quad partners to understand and appreciate that,” he added.“India plans to host the next Quad Summit. We have some proposals on how to make that productive. I am sure so do our partners. We will discuss and I am sure we will agree.”
