Fairly decent press pack awaiting the four Quad Foreign Ministers in Melbourne after their meeting today. Not a huge amount of social distancing! Excerpts to follow 1/ 
The principals are here. Payne opens by stressing the importance of “rules” and “fair play” in the Indo-Pacific. Mentions coercion and uses Morrison’s formulation of a “world order which favours freedom” 2/
Jaishankar calls the Quad a “vibrant” framework. Stresses ASEAN centrality. He says they reviewed efforts to provide vaccines and says they agreed to “expedite” it 3/
Blinken runs through a long list of Quad initiatives. Repeats that it is an “affirmative” partnership 4/
First question is on Ukraine. Payne doesn’t go into the details of discussions today. Blinken says Russia will face “massive consequences” if it invades. Won’t be drawn on what actions he might like Australia to take 5/
When Blinken says (emphatically) “what happens in Ukraine matters here” a ghost of a smile flickers over Jaishankar’s face. It was unmistakable. I don’t pretend to know what he was thinking 6/
I ask about Myanmar and whether Blinken presses other Quad countries to apply sanctions on the junta. Blinken doesn’t really say, but reasserts the US position. He says there was a “robust” discussion on the subject 7/
Question on the Russia and China joint statement. Payne says it is “concerning because it doesn’t represent a global order which squares with ambitions for openness and sovereignty” 8/
Jaishankar doesn’t want to drawn. Stresses important of cooperation but when it comes to the Quad “we are for something not against something” 9/
Listening back to my tape (which is not great quality) I think Jaishankar actually said “we are for something not against someONE" which is even more pointed 10/
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