India to Host First MAITRI Symposium for Quad Maritime Initiative in 2025
India will host the inaugural symposium of the new regional maritime initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific (MAITRI) in 2025. This initiative aims to train Quad partners to monitor and secure their waters, enforce their laws, and deter unlawful behavior.
Announcement by Nancy Izzo Jackson
Nancy Izzo Jackson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, announced the MAITRI initiative. She stated, “We are also proud to announce a new regional maritime initiative for training in the Indo-Pacific or MAITRI with an inaugural symposium in 2025 that will be hosted by India.”
Quad Leaders’ Commitment
The MAITRI initiative was a major outcome of the sixth summit level meeting of the Quad group of countries, which includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The initiative highlights the Quad’s commitment to regional security and capacity building, particularly in the maritime domain.
Building on Previous Efforts
MAITRI builds on the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA), a previous initiative designed to deliver maritime domain awareness information to partners. With MAITRI, countries in the Indo-Pacific can better enforce their maritime laws and deter unlawful activities.
Quad Leaders’ Concerns
The Quad leaders expressed their deep concern over recent “dangerous and aggressive actions in the maritime domain,” according to the Wilmington Declaration. They condemned illicit missile launches and affirmed their collective opposition to unilateral actions that threaten peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
New Initiatives
Among the key initiatives announced was the Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission, scheduled to launch in 2025. This initiative aims to improve interoperability and maritime safety, advancing cooperation among member countries. Additionally, the Quad introduced the Indo-Pacific Logistics Network pilot project to bolster disaster response capabilities through shared airlift capacity and logistics resources.
India’s Perspective
Former Indian Ambassador to the United States Meera Shankar highlighted the significance of the development from India’s point of view, especially concerning Chinese incursions in the Indian Ocean. She stated, “They (Quad leaders) have taken the decision to expand the maritime domain awareness programs to the Indian Ocean. Hitherto it was confined to the Pacific and the South China Sea and so on, but now it is being expanded to the Indian Ocean, and India will be making its own contributions in this process.”
Wilmington Declaration
As per the Wilmington Declaration issued after the Quad Leaders’ Summit, the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) was announced in 2022 to offer near-real-time, integrated, and cost-effective maritime domain awareness information to partners in the region. Since then, the US has successfully scaled the program across the Indo-Pacific region, helping over two dozen countries access dark vessel maritime domain awareness data.
Doubts Revealed
MAITRI -: MAITRI stands for Maritime Awareness and Information for a Tranquil Region Initiative. It is a new program to help countries keep their waters safe.
Quad -: The Quad is a group of four countries: India, the United States, Japan, and Australia. They work together on different issues, including security and cooperation in the region.
Symposium -: A symposium is a meeting where experts discuss a particular topic. In this case, they will talk about keeping the seas safe.
Nancy Izzo Jackson -: Nancy Izzo Jackson is a person who announced the new MAITRI initiative. She works with the US government.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi -: Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister of India. He is one of the leaders involved in the Quad partnership.
US President Joe Biden -: Joe Biden is the President of the United States. He is also one of the leaders in the Quad partnership.
Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness -: This is an earlier program where countries work together to keep an eye on the seas in the Indo-Pacific region to make sure they are safe.
Unlawful maritime activities -: These are illegal actions that happen at sea, like smuggling or illegal fishing. The new initiative aims to stop these activities.