External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar arrived in Washington, D.C., on Monday to participate in the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (QFMM) scheduled for July 1.
According to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the ministers will build on discussions held during the previous QFMM, which took place in Washington on January 21, 2025.
“They will exchange views on regional and global developments, particularly those concerning the Indo-Pacific, and review the progress made on various Quad initiatives in the run-up to the Quad Leaders’ Summit, which India will host. The ministers are also expected to deliberate on new proposals to advance the shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the MEA said.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said during a press briefing that the meeting will reaffirm the shared commitment of the Quad countries – Australia, India, Japan, and the United States – towards a free and open Indo-Pacific.
“Tomorrow, Secretary Rubio will welcome his Quad counterparts from Australia, India, and Japan to Washington, to reaffirm our shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Bruce said.
She added that the meeting will underscore the Quad’s collective resolve to uphold sovereignty, strengthen maritime security, and build resilient supply chains.
Prior to his arrival in Washington, Jaishankar was in New York, where he attended the inauguration of an exhibition titled The Human Cost of Terrorism at the United Nations headquarters.
Addressing the gathering, Jaishankar emphasized that terrorism remains a global threat to peace and security.
“A tribute to those who were taken from us and remembrance for lives shattered … we express solidarity with the families and loved ones of the victims of terrorism. The campaign is a stark reminder of the urgency of our shared responsibility to combat terrorism in all its forms,” he said.
Jaishankar described the exhibition as “a gallery of human courage,” where every image, artefact, and testimony tells the story of a life interrupted or lost.
He also referred to the recent condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack by the UN Security Council, stressing the need for a unified global stance against terrorism.
“The world must come to some basic concepts: no impunity to terrorists, no treating them as proxies, and no yielding to nuclear blackmail,” he said.
(With inputs from ANI)
