Must stand together against terror, Dr Jaishankar to Quad counterparts after meeting
The External Affairs Minister hosted his counterparts from the US, Japan and Australia in New Delhi for the crucial Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting when US President Donald Trump seemingly appears desperate to 'mend' ties with the Indian government under PM Narendra Modi.
"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," he said.
This was precisely the basis of India's highly successful Operation Sindoor in May 2025.
Convened under India’s chairmanship, the meeting brings together US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi to review regional security challenges and expand cooperation across critical sectors.
Building on discussions held in Washington in July 2025, the four nations are expected to assess the evolving Indo-Pacific security architecture, take stock of ongoing Quad initiatives and deepen collaboration in areas such as maritime security, emerging technologies, connectivity, disaster response and economic resilience.
At the Quad Foreign Ministers meeting, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the grouping has completed 10 years and the latest meeting sent a strong and unwavering message of commitment to advancing its shared vision.
He said the ministers also discussed major regional security issues, including the de-nuclearisation of North Korea, and expressed appreciation for the support received from partner countries.
Motegi further noted deliberations on the situation in West Asia, highlighting concerns over disruptions linked to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced what she described as the strongest ever commitment to the Quad, underscoring an expanded focus on maritime security and regional cooperation.
"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," Dr Jaishankar said.
"Because we are four maritime democracies located at different ends of the Indo-Pacific, the exchange of perspectives was an exercise of considerable value," he said at a post-meeting joint press conference.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanked External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the government for hosting the high-level engagement, noting that the visit follows recent bilateral discussions as well as the multilateral meeting.
Simplifying the purpose of the grouping, Rubio said the Quad is moving beyond being a platform for discussions to one focused on delivering concrete action. He said the goal over the past year has been to operationalise cooperation and turn shared concerns into coordinated responses.
He added that the relevance of the Quad's agenda has only increased amid recent global developments, and expressed confidence that further progress would be made in strengthening practical cooperation.
The Quad brings together four strategic partners with complementary capabilities that can be deployed to address major global challenges, he said.
ends
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