Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, EAM Affairs S Jaishankar, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pose following a Quad ministerial meeting. (AP Photo)Quad Foreign Ministers meeting LIVE: EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, “We’ve just concluded a very substantive and productive meeting of the Quad foreign ministers. Much of the discussions and indeed the bilateral exchanges were devoted to the current state of the world. Being QUAD, we naturally focused on issues of particular relevance to the Indo-Pacific. Because we are four maritime democracies located at different ends of the Indo-Pacific, the exchange of perspectives was an exercise of considerable value.”
Indo-Pacific must remain driver for global growth: In his opening remarks at the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting on Tuesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the Indo-Pacific must remain a driver for global growth and stability, and the Quad must work towards ensuring maritime security and promoting economic choices in the region. He specifically called for “trusted and transparent” partnerships to bring peace and prosperity to the region.
The meeting between the countries’ top diplomats – Australia’s Penny Wong, India’s Jaishankar, Japan’s Toshimitsu Motegi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio – is the third such gathering since September 2024.
Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting Live Updates: India, US sign bilateral framework on securing critical minerals, rare earths supplies
EAM Jaishankar says, "We are today signing a bilateral India-US framework on securing supplies of mining and processing of critical minerals and rare earths. This is something we have also discussed today at the Quad meeting and whether we are doing it bilaterally, or in the Quad format or as a larger gathering of like-minded nations, it is something very timely and critical. This framework aims to deepen our cooperation across the entire critical minerals and rare earth supply chain, including mining, processing, recycling and related investment. It will strengthen resilient and diversified supply chains, help us to collaborate and financing and with the effective management of critical minerals and rare earths... It is one more sign of how close our cooperation is in a world where there are so many challenges but also so many opportunities..."
Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting Live Updates: 'Quad united against coercion,' says Japan FM, pushes for Free and Open Indo-Pacific
After the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting, Foreign Minister of Japan Toshimitsu Motegi says," I am delighted to see the progress of the Quad cooperation, which is the propellant for realising the Free and Open Indo-Pacific. There has been a significant change in the international circumstances. At the beginning of the meeting today, I emphasised the importance of our four nations to the Quad in realising Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP). The point of the update of FOIP is that the countries of the Indo-Pacific should strengthen their resilience and capacity to determine their own future. Today's meeting gave us a good opportunity to send an unshaken message that Quad will advance the necessary concrete cooperation for this."
"Also today, through frank exchange of views, we were able to align our strategic perceptions on regional developments and agreed to strongly oppose attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force or coercion."
"We shared deep concern over the export restrictions of critical minerals and others as well. We discussed the North Korean situation, including nuclear and missile problems and cyber activities, and reaffirmed our commitment towards the complete denuclearisation of North Korea. I received support from the other three countries, aiming to bring an immediate solution to the abduction issue."
"As the Iranian situation imposes enormous impact on the Indo-Pacific region, energy supply viewpoint included, we confirmed the importance of diplomatic efforts in ensuring free and safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz as well as stability to be brought to the Middle East."
"The energy security initiative to secure stable supply of energy in the Indo-Pacific region is a timely initiative. We would like to partner it with Power Asia, a cooperation framework for the procurement of crude oil and petroleum products that Japan is promoting.
Furthermore, the critical minerals initiative framework launched today is a very important initiative from the perspective of strengthening the supply chain of critical minerals, and we will proceed with concrete cooperation."
In this way, today we have agreed to promote various cooperation projects. We would like to work together among the Quad to develop resilience and strengthen capacity to determine their own paths in the region and to promote cooperation that truly benefits this region."
Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting Live Updates: US Secy Marco Rubio announces Quad Critical Minerals Framework
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says, 'We'll announce the Quad Critical Minerals Framework, which will guide each of us to leverage economic policy tools and coordinate investment to strengthen critical mineral supply chains, including in mining and processing and in critical minerals recycling. Finally, on energy and fuel security, we'll be announcing the Quad Initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security that will help strengthen regional energy resilience and through this initiative. The Department of Energy from the United States will be hosting Quad partners later this year for a fuel security forum to further expand on this.'
'Minister Jaishankar and I want to thank India for being a tremendous host. We've been here for four days and it's been a phenomenal visit. So thank you for everything you've done to extend such a welcome and for allowing us to meet with so many people, and just as importantly, to be hosting this event.'
Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting Live Updates: Australia's Penny Wong announces Quad Ports of the Future Partnership
After Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting, Foreign Minister of Australia, Penny Wong says, "At every meeting that we have had, we have been focused on momentum and on making sure we deliver outcomes which are real... Our obligation and responsibility is to provide real choices, particularly as strategic circumstances in our region (Indo-Pacific) are deteriorating. The region is facing acute economic stress... we know the consequences for our region of the Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and what that means for our energy security... We recognise the efforts of Secretary Rubio towards a diplomatic resolution to ensure freedom of navigation is restored. We recognise the importance of maintaining the principle of freedom of navigation and our opposition to any tolling proposition. The Quad is today taking forward a number of new initiatives, an energy security initiative..."
She also says, "We are also today announcing the strongest ever commitment from the Quad to the Pacific through the Quad Ports of the Future Partnership where we are launching a pilot for port infrastructure in Fiji... In addition, we are focusing on what more we can do to ensure a transparent, more secure maritime domain in the Indo-Pacific... And you are seeing that we will be coordinating our maritime surveillance efforts initially in the Indian Ocean and at exercise Malabar through the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration Initiative. We are also expanding the domain awareness initiative to the Indian Ocean. This will enable partners to access near-real-time unclassified satellite tracking data to combat illegal fishing trafficking and also enable us to better support humanitarian disaster response... We are also working together to strengthen cooperation against scam centres, particularly in South East Asia, building law enforcement capacity and deepening cyber cooperation... We know we work better in partnership across our region..."
Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting Live Updates: Rubio announces key initiatives
Following the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says, "I'm very happy today that as a result of the work that our teams have been doing leading up to this conversation, we have real concrete achievables that we can announce to our respective countries and to the world. On the issue of maritime security, there are two big announcements. The first is the launch of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Cooperation Initiative, which is going to leverage each of our country's maritime surveillance capabilities in the Indo-Pacific to enhance information sharing. Related to that is also the expansion of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative, which provides and can provide near-real-time commercial maritime domain awareness data to countries throughout the Indo-Pacific."
"And last, I also want to thank India for committing to hosting the next iteration of the Quad at Sea mission, which brings together our respective coast guards together in one place on one ship. The reason why maritime security is so important, beyond the fact that current events remind us of what can happen when maritime security is impeded, is the fact that 60% of global maritime trade passes through the Indo-Pacific, and it's a vital national interest not just to the four countries represented here today, but to dozens of countries, countless countries around the world. The second initiative: we're going to be partnering on issues of port infrastructure. In particular, in response to insufficient port capacity in the Pacific Islands. We're announcing plans to work with Fiji to advance that country's port infrastructure. It'll be the first time that the Quad partners work together on a port infrastructure project."
Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting Live Updates: 'As democratic nations, we also devoted attention to countering common threat of terrorism,' says S Jaishankar
After Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting, EAM S Jaishankar says, "The Quad nations are open societies that foster innovation and creativity in our quest for growth and prosperity. These forces are strengthened when we undertake more exchanges, as we intend to do. So, whether it is in business forums, healthcare initiatives, or digital activities, each facet of a joint effort makes the region that much better. As democratic nations, we also devoted attention to countering the common threat of terrorism. There must be zero tolerance for terrorism, and nations subject to terrorist attacks have the right to defend themselves."
"A free and open Indo-Pacific has many dimensions and facets. Our meeting today took stock of the progress in many of them while encouraging exploration in others. In the coming days, whether it is economic activity, energy trade or maritime commerce, the Indo-Pacific will become even more important to the world. The responsibilities of the Quad will grow commensurately, and we must prepare for that."
Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting Live Updates: Foreign Ministers deliver joint press statement
EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, "We've just concluded a very substantive and productive meeting of the Quad foreign ministers. Much of the discussions and indeed the bilateral exchanges were devoted to the current state of the world. Being QUAD, we naturally focused on issues of particular relevance to the Indo-Pacific. Because we are four maritime democracies located at different ends of the Indo-Pacific, the exchange of perspectives was an exercise of considerable value."
"The maritime domain has seen a steady expansion of collaboration, including surveillance and domain awareness, logistics network, undersea cables, training, capacity building and HADR activities. We will be continuing to deepen these areas in the times ahead. We spent some time on the question of safe and unimpeded maritime commerce and reaffirmed the significance of scrupulously observing international law. Our four nations are also market economies. We believe strongly that economic resilience should be promoted, the supply chains should be strengthened, trusted and secure technologies diffused, and production capacities enhanced. Our deliberations touched on the current energy and fertiliser availability..."