Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted a meeting with the Quad Foreign Ministers in Washington. The gathering included Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi. The officials reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region and pledged to collaborate on promoting peace, security, and prosperity.
During the meeting, the ministers announced the launch of the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative. This initiative aims to expand partnerships to enhance economic security by securing and diversifying critical mineral supply chains.
Secretary Rubio also held separate meetings with each minister to strengthen bilateral cooperation. In discussions with Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya, he emphasized the importance of the U.S.-Japan Alliance for regional peace and explored further cooperation in security and energy sectors. With Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, Secretary Rubio highlighted the U.S.-India relationship's strength through initiatives like the U.S.-India COMPACT, which focuses on trade, defense, energy collaboration, countering illegal immigration, counternarcotics efforts, among other areas.
The meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Wong focused on enhancing security in the Indo-Pacific through deeper cooperation under the U.S.-Australia Alliance. They also discussed building secure critical mineral supply chains.
The United States remains committed to working closely with its Quad partners to protect shared interests in the Indo-Pacific region.