Indian Foreign Minister Meets Australian and Japanese Counterparts on Quad Agenda

Washington D.C [US]: Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar met with his counterparts from Australia and Japan in the United States as part of the QUAD foreign ministers' visit to attend US President Donald Trump's swearing-in ceremony on Monday.

During the meetings, Jaishankar discussed bilateral issues and those pertaining to QUAD with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshihide Suga. The exchanges were seen as a significant step towards strengthening ties between New Delhi and its Quad partners.

The joint statement from Japan confirmed that the two countries planned to designate this year as 'Japan-India Science, Technology and Innovation Exchange Year' (STIY25) to further advance cooperation in science, technology, and innovation. The agreement marks the 40th anniversary of an India-Japan agreement on cooperation in science and technology.

According to sources, incoming US Secretary of State-elect Marco Rubio has made it a priority to strengthen the India-US relationship, with plans to meet Jaishankar once confirmed as the new cabinet member. Rubio has expressed eagerness to take the bilateral ties to the next level, particularly in areas like artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

During his visit to Washington D.C, Jaishankar also met National Security Advisor-elect Michael Waltz, who will be co-chairing the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies with their Indian counterpart Ajit Doval once he takes over. This collaborative framework aims to enhance cooperation in technology fields such as semiconductors, advanced telecommunications technologies like 6G, and artificial intelligence.

The QUAD foreign ministers' visit comes against a backdrop of growing regional tensions, making it an important step towards promoting multilateral dialogue and cooperation among the four nations.