By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – Quad members on Saturday have underscored the importance of ensuring that the Indo-Pacific remains open and free from the threats of terrorism.
During the 3rd Quad Counter Terrorism Working Group meeting between India, Japan, Australia, and the United States, they unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism.
The meeting was held in New Delhi on 4-5 December. The Quad CTWG was established during the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in New Delhi in March 2023, media reported.
“Quad partners reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in multilateral fora. They also emphasized the value of continued information sharing on terrorists, terrorist organizations, and their proxies,” a joint press release said on Saturday.
Ambassador Sibi George, Secretary (West), delivered the keynote address, underscored the need for forging a common resolve within the Quad to combat the scourge of terrorism, and urged all Quad members to take necessary steps to make the Quad CTWG a more resilient, robust, and action-oriented Working Group.
He thanked Quad member countries for showing solidarity and extending support to India following the 22 April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack.
Quad partners also expressed their condolences for the heinous terror incident on 10 November 2025 near the Red Fort in Delhi.
They called for the perpetrators, organizers, and financiers of this reprehensible act to be brought to justice and urged all UN Member States to cooperate in doing so.
Quad member countries exchanged assessments on the terrorism threat landscape, including developments in the Indo-Pacific region.
They discussed the full spectrum of counterterrorism cooperation and measures that could be used to address existing and emerging challenges.
They underscored the importance of ensuring that the Indo-Pacific remains open and free from the threats of terrorism.
During the meeting, a Tabletop Exercise on “Counter Terrorism Operations in the Urban Environment” was conducted.
The TTx provided an opportunity for CT experts to share their best practices and identify potential opportunities for joint operational preparedness to respond to complex terrorist scenarios.
India hosted two Quad CTWG workshops on countering the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for terrorist purposes and on preventing terrorist exploitation of new and emerging technologies for terror financing. These workshops were organized by the National Security Guard and the National Investigation Agency, respectively, in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs of India.
“Quad partners committed to further deepen counterterrorism cooperation within the Quad framework and to convene the next meeting of Quad Counter Terrorism Working Group in 2026,” the joint press release added.
