Rubio to Meet EAM Jaishankar, Quad FMs in First Foreign Visit

In his first foreign engagement as the newly confirmed U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio will meet with the foreign ministers of the Quad grouping, including India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. This meeting will be followed by individual discussions with each minister, starting with Jaishankar.

Rubio, a former Senator from Florida, was sworn in earlier in the day by Vice-President J.D. Vance after receiving unanimous confirmation from the U.S. Senate. His schedule includes addressing U.S. State Department employees and hosting a meeting with the Quad Foreign Ministers at the State Department. The group comprises India, Australia, Japan, and the United States, represented by Jaishankar, Penny Wong, and Iwaya Takeshi, respectively.

The Quad grouping, initially formed after the 2004 tsunami, was revived during the Trump administration with a meeting in 2017. It has since evolved, progressing to foreign ministers’ meetings in 2019 and 2020. Under President Joe Biden, the Quad was elevated to leaders’ summits beginning in 2021, with annual meetings held thereafter.

India is set to host the next Quad leaders’ summit later this year.