US, India, Israel and UAE to form a ‘New Quad’

First virtual summit of the foreign ministers of the US, India, Israel and UAE was recently held. It was joined by:

1. External affairs minister S Jaishankar,

2. US secretary of state Antony Blinken from Washington

3. Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid from Jerusalem

4. UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan from Abu Dhabi.

This meeting is the first to bring four countries together on a single platform.
The four nations agreed to form a new international economic forum to harness the “unique array of capabilities, knowledge and experience” that each offers.
Meeting will also be linked with India’s efforts of building new plurilateral and multilateral partnerships which focuses on cooperation in areas including security, connectivity and energy.
The group is already being dubbed the ‘New Quad’ or the ‘Middle-Eastern Quad’ on the lines of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD).

Significance

The four countries have a “unique set of capabilities, knowledge, and experience” that can be used to create a new network of cooperation.
The new group is important for greater cooperation of the countries involved in keeping the Middle East stable.
With the new alliance, India can use this platform to harness various opportunities like Big data, AI, Quantum computing, export its products in their market etc.
The group will help to focus on non-military issues like trade, energy, and environment and on promoting public goods.