New Delhi: The White House on Wednesday highlighted the appreciable progress achieved by the Quad Alliance over the previous three years. It emphasised the significance of sustaining this momentum into 2024, particularly throughout India’s host 12 months.
During a press briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre conveyed President Biden’s delight within the developments made and the collective imaginative and prescient for a free, open, and affluent Indo-Pacific area.
“So, I would say this, the president is incredibly proud of the progress the Quad has made over the past three years. To your point, the anniversary is coming up, and we are hoping to continue that momentum in 2024 under India’s host year, as you just stated. And we’re talking about not just the United States but, obviously, India, Japan, and Australia, and we all have a shared vision here, of a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Pierre mentioned.
The Quad, consisting of the United States, India, Japan, and Australia, goals to ship concrete advantages throughout crucial sectors for the Indo-Pacific area.
“The Quad is helping all of our nations deliver concrete benefits to the Indo-Pacific across several critical, important sectors. So we look forward to continuing that progress for the Quad in 2024, not just in 2024, but also beyond,” she added.
Shifting consideration to the I2U2 initiative, Pierre reiterated its very important significance and President Biden’s robust dedication to selling progressive, inclusive, and science-driven options. The initiative seeks to sort out points regarding meals and vitality safety, area operations, water conservation, waste administration, and numerous different endeavors. The I2U2 Group contains India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
“I2U2 remains critically important, and the president is deeply committed to making sure that we continue with I2U2, obviously with our partnership among our four countries and beyond through innovative, inclusive, and science-based solutions to advance and not to enhance food and energy security, space operation and other ventures, advancing projects on water conservation, waste management in other areas,” she additionally mentioned.
Pierre emphasised that I2U2 stays a precedence and warranted a robust future for the partnership, dispelling any notion that it has taken a again burner. “So there is a strong future for I2U2. We’re looking forward to continuing that partnership, which has not taken a back burner. It certainly continues to be a priority.”
Addressing considerations concerning the H1B visa course of, Pierre highlighted current actions taken by the administration to enhance the system. She famous {that a} remaining rule regarding H1B visas had been revealed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) final month.
“If we look at the H1B visa process, we have taken action to improve that and the process and back laws for lawful permanent residents who are eligible to become US citizens. Just last month, for example, as a part of our efforts to strengthen the integrity of our immigration system and reduce the potential for fraud, DHS published a final rule relating to H1B visas,” the White House press secretary mentioned.
According to Pierre, the adjustments intention to advertise fairer and extra equitable outcomes whereas strengthening the integrity of the immigration system and decreasing the potential for fraud.
“The changes promote fairer and more equitable outcomes, and so we will continue our work to improve the system within our authorities, and that has certainly been a priority. Obviously, I would refer you to US Citizens and Immigration Services for any specifics on the actions that we have taken, but we take that very seriously, and we’re continuing to do everything that we can to improve the visa process,” she added.
