US, India, Israel and UAE to form new bloc I2U2

• Formation of quadrilateral alliance comes ahead of US President Joe Biden's visit to West Asia.
• Four nations to attend virtual meeting in July.
• Meeting to discuss food security, climate change and other matters.

The United States, India, Israel and United Arab Emirates will form a new bloc called I2U2 during US President Joe Biden's visit to West Asia, Geo News reported, citing international media.

The quadrilateral I2U2 stands for “I” for India and Israel and “U” for the US and UAE. The four nations will hold a virtual conference that will discuss food security among various other issues.

The leaders of the alliance referred to as the West Asia Quad will discuss the global food crisis, climate change, oil production and Yemen war among other areas of co-operation, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said.

“The president will hold a virtual summit with the I2U2 heads of state for discussions of the food security crisis and other areas of co-operation across hemispheres where the UAE and Israel serve as important innovation hubs,” National News quoted a White House official as saying at a press briefing.

“We consider these initiatives central to our strategy of empowering partners and encouraging them to work more closely together, which will lead to a more stable region,” the official said.

Meanwhile, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said that India is a huge consumer market and a manufacturer of modern technology products and devices. He said that the countries part of the bloc can work together in the fields of technology, business, climate and security.

I2U2 was initially formed in October last year following the Abraham Accords between Israel and the UAE, to deal with issues concerning maritime security, infrastructure and transport in the region.