Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting: Jaishankar says Indo-Pacific must remain driver for global growth, stability

EAM S Jaishankar said that the ministers must focus on strengthening supply chain resilience, addressing connectivity choke points, and tackling issues related to manufacturing concentration, resource dependencies, and gaps in critical infrastructure.

India is hosting the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar leading high-level discussions alongside Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio under the Quad framework amid evolving Indo-Pacific geopolitical challenges.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said on Tuesday that India, Japan, Australia and the US, as maritime democracies, pluralistic societies and market economies, share the responsibility towards a free and open Indo-Pacific, while stressing that the region must remain a driver for global growth and stability.

In his opening remarks at the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting, EAM Jaishankar said, "Meeting for the third time in less than 18 months, we will be discussing and deciding our shared activities. Obviously, that will take into account the many challenges and opportunities in the world. Our focus will clearly be on the Indo-Pacific, which is the specific limit of the Quad."

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S Jaishankar said that the ministers must focus on strengthening supply chain resilience, addressing connectivity choke points, and tackling issues related to manufacturing concentration, resource dependencies, and gaps in critical infrastructure.

He added that Quad officials, over the past several months, have made progress in advancing cooperation across core priority areas, including maritime security, critical technologies, economic resilience, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR).

"At the global level, we have to address supply chain resilience, connectivity choke points, manufacturing and resource concentrations and gaps in critical infrastructure. Each one of them offers a new argument for more partnerships, stronger growth and realising the promise of technologies. The Indo-Pacific has, in addition, its own particular concerns. This will require enhancing strategic confidence, ensuring maritime security, promoting economic choices, and fostering a deeper collaborative ethos, and that is best done by promoting trusted and transparent partnerships," EAM Jaishankar said.

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"Over the past several months, our officials have advanced collaboration across key core priorities, including maritime security, critical technologies, economic resilience and HADR. We have seen encouraging progress on many initiatives. As maritime democracies, pluralistic societies and market economies, we share the responsibility towards a free and open Indo-Pacific. The region must remain a driver for global growth and stability. We will be underlining that today, through our deliberations, which I am confident will be useful and productive," he added.

At the invitation of S. Jaishankar, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio are in New Delhi to attend the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting today.

The summit builds on the discussions held during their previous meeting in Washington, DC, on July 1, 2025.

What is QUAD?

QUAD is a group of four countries , India, the United States, Japan and Australia. It is a strategic partnership aimed at strengthening cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

The group works towards maintaining a “free and open Indo-Pacific”. It works to support international rules, sovereignty and territorial integrity.