The top diplomats of Japan, the United States, Australia, and India have held talks on ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region. They also discussed the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

The foreign ministers of the so-called Quad alliance met in Melbourne on Friday.

They agreed to cooperate in the fields of infrastructure development and maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, with China's growing influence in the region apparently in mind.

"We agreed to boost maritime security support for Indo-Pacific partners to strengthen their maritime domain awareness and ability to develop their offshore resource, to ensure freedom of navigation and overflight and to combat challenges such as illegal fishing," Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a news conference.

"We were able to reaffirm our mutual commitment to pursue the shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific and agree to step up practical cooperation," Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa said. "This is a meaningful result at an appropriate time."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, "We believe that the only way to make that vision reality is to deepen our engagement as allies and partners."

Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said, "We're keen to work together to further peace and stability and economic prosperity in the Indo-Pacific through collective efforts."

The foreign ministers also expressed their concerns about Russia's massing of about 100,000 troops along its border with Ukraine.

The ministers also agreed to arrange a Quad summit in Japan during the first half of the year.