The "Quad" nations of Japan, the United States, Australia and India have welcomed the Myanmar military's announcement of a temporary ceasefire following a massive earthquake that hit the country recently and called for a continued halt to fighting.
"We welcome recent commitments to temporary, partial ceasefires and call on all parties to implement, extend and broaden these measures" so that a safe and conducive environment to facilitate timely delivery of humanitarian aid throughout Myanmar will be provided, the grouping said in a statement released Friday.
The March 28 temblor is believed to have claimed the lives of thousands of people in the Southeast Asian nation. The quake also affected neighboring Thailand.
While expressing their "deepest sympathies and condolences" to the people of Myanmar and Thailand, the Quad countries expressed concerns that the significant loss of life, injuries and widespread destruction of infrastructure would "worsen an already-dire humanitarian situation in Myanmar."
In phone talks Wednesday, top bureaucrats from the Quad countries' foreign ministries confirmed their close cooperation in providing humanitarian assistance to Myanmar. They also agreed to advance practical cooperation in achieving a free and open Indo-Pacific.
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