EAM Jaishankar Joins Quad Partners For Fourth Meeting In Melbourne
Melbourne/New Delhi, Feb 11: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday joined his compatriots from the other Quad countries of Japan, Australia and the US for the fourth meeting in Melbourne, with focus on the Indo-Pacific. Ahead of sitting down for the Fourth Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting, the four foreign ministers — Jaishankar, Australia’s Marise Payne, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japan’s Yoshimasa Hayashi – met Australian PM Scott Morrisson.
Australian FM Marise Payne said in a tweet: “Looking forward to hosting India, Japan and the US for the fourth Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. We are a vital network of liberal democracies with a positive & ambitious agenda in support of a secure & prosperous Indo-Pacific.” The meeting today is a follow up on their virtual meeting held in February 2021 and they will exchange views on regional strategic issues given their shared vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. The Ministers are to review ongoing Quad cooperation and build on the positive and constructive agenda announced by the Leaders at the two Summits in 2021, to address contemporary challenges such as the COVID pandemic, supply chains, critical technologies, climate change, infrastructure etc.
