National/ International/ Business Desk
21 January
Ludhiana
Journalist Sandeep Dhand
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held discussions with the Foreign Ministers of Australia and Japan in Washington today, focusing on bilateral relations and the Quad Security Dialogue. The Quad includes India, Australia, Japan, and the US, and remains a key strategic initiative.
Jaishankar first met Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and later Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya. On Twitter, he expressed satisfaction with both meetings. Regarding his discussion with Wong, he wrote, “It was a pleasure to meet our Quad counterpart, Senator Wong, in Washington today. As always, we discussed the world situation.”
After meeting Iwaya, Jaishankar tweeted, “It was a pleasure to meet Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya. We reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation and discussed developments related to the Quad.”
The Quad, which emerged as a priority during former President Trump’s administration, continues to gain importance under the new US administration. Sources close to President-elect Trump revealed that strengthening India-US ties will be a top priority.
Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State-designate, is expected to focus on the Quad and India-US relations after his confirmation by Congress. His first bilateral meeting may likely be with Jaishankar, signaling a strong commitment to collaboration between the two nations.