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Quad nations strongly condemn Pahalgam attack, call for perpetrators, organisers to be brought to justice

Washington/New Delhi, July 2 (UNI) The Quad nations, comprising India, US, Japan and Australia, condemned in the strongest terms the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack and called for the perpetrators, organisers, and financiers of this reprehensible act to be brought to justice without any delay and urged all UN Member States to cooperate actively in this regard. A joint statement issued at the end of the meeting of the Quad Foreign Ministers in Washington, the Foreign Ministers, including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian FM Penny Wong and Japan's Takeshi Iwaya, said: "We condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, 2025, which claimed the lives of 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen, while injuring several others. We express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and extend our heartfelt wishes for a swift and full recovery to all those injured. We call for the perpetrators, organizers, and financiers of this reprehensible act to be brought to justice without any delay and urge all UN Member States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant UNSCRs, to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard." The joint statement reaffirmed the four nations' steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. They also announced a new, ambitious, and strong agenda focused on four key areas: maritime and transnational security, economic prosperity and security, critical and emerging technology, and humanitarian assistance and emergency response. The Quad also announced the launch of the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative, "an ambitious expansion of our partnership to strengthen economic security and collective resilience by collaborating to secure and diversify critical minerals supply chains". "We underscore our commitment to defending the rule of law, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. As four leading maritime nations in the Indo-Pacific, we are united in our conviction that peace and stability in the maritime domain underpin the security and prosperity of the region. "We are committed to a region where all countries are free from coercion and strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion."The four FMs discussed the opportunities and challenges in the Indo-Pacific and how to further harness the strengths and resources of the Quad to advance peace, security, and prosperity, working with regional partners. They emphasised their cooperation with and support for ASEAN and its centrality and unity, the Pacific Islands Forum and Pacific-led regional groupings, and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).The Quad nations voiced serious concern "about the situation in the East China Sea and South China Sea", in a reference to China and its hegemonistic activities in the seas. "We reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion. We express our serious concerns regarding dangerous and provocative actions, including interference with offshore resource development, the repeated obstruction of the freedoms of navigation and overflight, and the dangerous maneuvers by military aircraft and coast guard and maritime militia vessels, especially the unsafe use of water cannons and ramming or blocking actions in the South China Sea. These actions threaten peace and stability in the region. We are seriously concerned by the militarization of disputed features. We emphasize the importance of upholding freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea, and unimpeded commerce consistent with international law, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)." They said that all maritime disputes must be resolved in accordance with international law. They also voiced deep concern about the "abrupt constriction and future reliability of key supply chains, specifically for critical minerals". This includes the use of non-market policies and practices for critical minerals, certain derivative products, and mineral processing technology. They underscored the importance of diversified and reliable global supply chains. "Reliance on any one country for processing and refining critical minerals and derivative goods production exposes our industries to economic coercion, price manipulation, and supply chain disruptions, which further harms our economic and national security," in another oblique reference to China.They condemned North Korea's destabilizing launches using ballistic missile technology and its continued pursuit of nuclear weapons, and reaffirmed commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. "We also express grave concern over North Korea's malicious cyber activity, including cryptocurrency theft and use of workers abroad to fund North Korea's unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs." They urged all UN Member States to abide by the sanctions, including the prohibition on the transfer to North Korea or procurement from North Korea of all arms and related materiel. "We express deep concern about countries that are deepening military cooperation with North Korea, which directly undermines the global nonproliferation regime. We reconfirm the necessity of immediate resolution of the abductions issue." The Quad also voiced deep concern on the worsening crisis in Myanmar and called on the regime to adhere to its commitment to a ceasefire, and called on all parties to implement the ceasefire measures. "We are committed to fighting cybercrime and online scam operations," in reference to the proliferation of cybercrime centres there, in which scores of people, including Indians, are trapped into working. "The Quad unequivocally condemns all acts of terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, and renews our commitment to counterterrorism cooperation." They announced plans to host the first Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network field training exercise this year to strengthen shared airlift capacity and leverage collective logistics strengths to respond to natural disasters more rapidly and efficiently, providing support for regional partners. They also announced plan to launch the Quad Ports of the Future Partnership in Mumbai this year. "We continue to coordinate rapid responses to regional disasters and collectively contributed over USD $30 million in humanitarian assistance to support communities affected by the earthquake that struck central Myanmar in March 2025. We will continue to counter foreign efforts to push false narratives and interfere with Quad interests in the Indo-Pacific." "As the Quad continues to evolve, our four democracies remain committed to deepening our cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and ensuring our cooperation has an enduring impact on the region's top challenges and opportunities in the 21st century. "We look forward to the next Quad Leaders' Summit hosted by India later this year and the next Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting hosted by Australia in 2026." UNI RN

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