In his opening remarks at the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Tuesday, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the Quad nations share a collective responsibility to ensure a free, open and stable Indo-Pacific, while emphasising the need for trusted partnerships and deeper cooperation amid rising global challenges.
Addressing the meeting in New Delhi, Jaishankar welcomed his counterparts and highlighted the importance of the grouping’s expanding cooperation in areas such as maritime security, critical technologies, economic resilience, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR).
“It is a great pleasure to welcome you all to this meeting of the Quad Foreign Ministers, meeting for the third time in less than eighteen months,” Jaishankar said in his opening remarks.
The minister said discussions at the meeting would focus on shared activities and collective responses to emerging global challenges and opportunities, with special emphasis on the Indo-Pacific region.
Referring to global concerns, Jaishankar said issues such as supply chain resilience, connectivity bottlenecks, manufacturing and resource concentration, and gaps in critical infrastructure underscored the need for stronger international cooperation.
“At the global level, we have to address issues like supply chain resilience, connectivity chokepoints, manufacturing and resource concentrations, and gaps in critical infrastructure,” he said, adding that such challenges strengthened the case for deeper partnerships and technology-driven growth.
Highlighting regional concerns in the Indo-Pacific, Jaishankar said the region required enhanced strategic confidence, maritime security, economic choices and a stronger collaborative approach built on trusted and transparent partnerships.
The foreign minister noted that officials from the Quad countries had made encouraging progress in advancing cooperation over the past several months across key priority areas.
“As maritime democracies, pluralistic societies and market economies, we share a responsibility towards a free and open Indo-Pacific. The region must remain a driver of global growth and stability,” Jaishankar said.
The EAM expressed confidence that the deliberations during the meeting would be productive and beneficial for all participating nations before inviting Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong to deliver her opening remarks.
