India is hosting the Quad foreign ministers in New Delhi as the four countries push deeper coordination on maritime security, technology partnerships and regional economic resilience.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar meets US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong ahead of the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi. (Photos: IANS/X/@DrSJaishankar)
New Delhi will host a crucial meeting of the Quad foreign ministers on Tuesday, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar set to hold talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi amid growing strategic focus on the Indo-Pacific and regional security challenges.
The meeting comes at a time when the Quad grouping is expanding cooperation beyond diplomacy into areas such as technology, supply chains, economic security and maritime coordination. With tensions and geopolitical shifts continuing across the Indo-Pacific, West Asia and parts of Europe, the four countries are expected to review both regional developments and ongoing Quad initiatives.
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According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the ministers will build upon discussions held during the Quad engagement in Washington DC last year. The talks are expected to cover maritime security, critical minerals, resilient supply chains, infrastructure partnerships, emerging technologies, climate action and humanitarian assistance.
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In its statement, the MEA said the ministers would exchange views on advancing cooperation under the Quad framework while also reviewing progress made in existing initiatives linked to a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific”.
Officials indicated that regional stability and economic resilience will remain central themes during the discussions. The four countries are also expected to deliberate on wider geopolitical developments, including the situations in Ukraine and West Asia.
Reports have suggested that fresh measures linked to economic security and technology partnerships could also emerge from the meeting.
Apart from the Quad engagement, the visiting foreign ministers are expected to hold separate bilateral meetings with Jaishankar during their stay in New Delhi.
On Monday, Jaishankar met Motegi ahead of the ministerial gathering and underlined the strategic significance of India-Japan ties in shaping the Indo-Pacific vision.
“Between India and Japan of course, we have a special strategic and global partnership and that signals that our ties have a larger implication, larger importance, larger impact and one example of that will be tomorrow when we meet in the Quad format to discuss how to advance free and open Indo-Pacific,” Jaishankar said during the meeting.
The Japanese Foreign Minister is also scheduled to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other visiting ministers on Tuesday.
Ahead of the Quad meeting, Rubio described India as one of Washington’s most important strategic partners and highlighted growing alignment between the two countries on issues such as terrorism, supply chains and critical minerals.
Addressing a joint press briefing with Jaishankar on Sunday, Rubio said both democracies understand the importance of accountability and public scrutiny in policymaking.
“I have to go back and justify to the American people every decision we make and the president has to do the same on why it’s good for our country, and our counterparts here in India have to do the exact same thing,” Rubio said.
He also noted that both India and the United States have suffered due to global terrorism networks.
The Quad meeting is being closely watched as member countries look to deepen coordination on strategic and economic issues in an increasingly competitive Indo-Pacific landscape.
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