Washington, Jan. 20 (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday held meetings with his counterparts from Australia and Japan here during which they discussed bilateral issues and those pertaining to QUAD.
An initiative of the Donald Trump administration in its first term, QUAD comprises Australia, India, Japan and the United States.
The outgoing Joe Biden administration elevated it to the leadership level.
A QUAD ministerial is expected to be the first order of business in terms of international meetings of Marco Rubio once he is confirmed by the US Congress and sworn in as the Secretary of State, which is reflective of the importance given to this grouping by the second term of the Trump administration.
“Delighted to meet FM @SenatorWong, a Quad colleague, in Washington DC today. As always, enjoyed our discussion on the state of the world,” Jaishankar posted on X after meeting Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
“Good to meet with FM Takeshi Iwaya of Japan. Reviewed the progress in our bilateral cooperation. Also discussed developments pertaining to Quad,” he said in another post after his meeting with the Japanese foreign minister.
According to informed sources in the transition team, Rubio and President-elect Trump has made it a priority to take the India-US relationship to the next level.
Rubio is keen to have his first bilateral with Jaishankar once he is confirmed as Secretary of State, the sources said.
The meeting might happen within a few hours of Rubio arriving at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department.
Rubio’s Senate confirmation is expected on Monday evening, and he is likely to be sworn in as the top American diplomat soon.
All three QUAD foreign ministers are here to attend the inauguration of Trump as the 47th president of the US on Monday.
Earlier, Vice President-elect JD Vance welcomed Chinese Vice President Han Zheng to the US for the inauguration.
The two leaders discussed a range of topics including fentanyl, balancing trade, and regional stability, a media release said. PTI LKJ ARI
