NEW DELHI (CU)_Over the past week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held back-to-back summits with his counterparts in Australia and Japan. During the meetings, the leaders discussed a range of matters of mutual interest from economic cooperation to collaboration on peace and security.
A subject of contention during their discussions was the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, on which India has taken a separate stand. The South Asian nation is the only member of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue which has avoided criticising Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. While Indian officials have claimed that both Australia and Japan understand Delhi’s position on the crisis, joint statements issued by the leaders of the two countries suggest this may not be the case.
During his visit to India, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged $42 billion in investment in the South Asian nation, while the two parties also signed agreements on a clean energy partnership, urban development and cyber security. In the case of the Ukraine crisis, there is no mention of it in the India-Japan joint statement. Meanwhile, during a joint media interaction following the summit, PM Kishida slammed Moscow’s decision to invade Ukraine, noting that the conflict has “shaken the roots of the international order”. PM Modi on the other hand, did not comment on the matter at all, only claiming that “geopolitical events” are presenting new challenges.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was another Quad leader with whom the Indian Prime Minister met with this week. The summit was held virtually, during which the two leaders committed to strengthen cooperation between the two countries by holding annual summits, signing an MoU regarding critical minerals. They also agreed to ink an interim Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) “as soon as possible”.
Prior to their meeting Australian high commissioner to India, Barry O’Farrell, said that Quad countries have accepted India’s position. “We understand that each country has bilateral relationships,” he said. However, following the summit, PM Morrison joined his Japanese counterpart in denouncing Russia’s “unlawful invasion” of Ukraine. US President Joe Biden himself has referred to India’s “shaky response” on the Ukraine crisis, suggesting India’s Quad partners neither understand nor seem to accept Delhi’s stance on the matter.
