Quad Foreign Ministers re-commit to security goals in Trump 2.0

Washington, Jan 22 (IANS) The Quad Foreign Ministers on Tuesday reiterated their commitment to "strengthening regional maritime, economic, and technology security" in a joint statement issued after the first meeting of the grouping in US President Donald Trump's second term.

The meeting was also US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's first diplomatic engagement reflecting perhaps the importance the grouping commands with the Trump administration, which, notably, had resurrected it from the dead in 2017 with a meeting of officials on the sidelines of ASEAN in Manila.

The group was founded in the aftermath of the 2004 Tsunami but folded up in 2008 after Australia's withdrawal under pressure from China.

Rubio met his Quad counterparts External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar, Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japan's Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya at the US State Department just hours after being administered the oath of office by Vice President J.D. Vance.

Rubio's first public engagement after being sworn in was an address to US State Department employees and then the Quad meeting. He met separately with his Quad partners after, starting with EAM Jaishankar.

"We, the Secretary of State of the United States and the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India, and Japan, met today in Washington D.C. to reaffirm our shared commitment to strengthening a Free and Open Indo-Pacific where the rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty, and territorial integrity are upheld and defended," the Ministers said in the joint statement.

"Our four nations maintain our conviction that international law, economic opportunity, peace, stability, and security in all domains including the maritime domain underpin the development and prosperity of the peoples of the Indo-Pacific. We also strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion."

"We are committed to strengthening regional maritime, economic, and technology security in the face of increasing threats, as well as promoting reliable and resilient supply chains. We look forward to advancing the work of the Quad in the coming months and will meet together on a regular basis as we prepare for the next Quad Leaders' Summit hosted by India."

That summit is also expected to be President Trump's first visit to India in his second term; his first was in 2020, during his first term.

Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi could, however, meet before.

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