QUAD

8.QUAD: India and the US announced new QUAD initiatives and launched the Indian Ocean Strategic Venture.

• Quad Initiatives refer to the Leaders to activate new partnerships in the Western Indian Ocean, Middle East, and Indo-Pacific.
• About QUAD: Strategic forum of USA, Japan, India, and Australia.
• Objective: Promote regional security, economic cooperation, and a free & open Indo-Pacific.
• Key Focus Areas: Democracy, human rights, rule of law, countering China's influence.
• Genesis & Evolution:

o 2007: Proposed by Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe; formed during an informal ASEAN meeting.

o 2012: Concept of ‘Democratic Security Diamond’ proposed by Japan, including US, Japan, India & Australia.

o 2020: Malabar naval exercises expanded to include Australia, marking the first Quad military exercise in a decade.

o 2021: First Quad leaders' virtual meeting; released joint statement ‘The Spirit of the Quad’.