EAM Jaishankar meets Australian counterpart ahead of Quad meeting

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met his Australian counterpart Penny Wong shortly before the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and talked about intensifying the bilateral ties between the two nations.

Jaishankar said that he and Wong also discussed deepening practical cooperation across the Indo-Pacific.

In a post on X, he said, “A great start this morning meeting Australian FM @SenatorWong in Tokyo. Spoke about further steps to intensify our bilateral ties including in security, trade and education. Also discussed deepening our practical cooperation across the Indo-Pacific. Look forward to continuing this at the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting shortly.”

Earlier on Sunday, Jaishankar held a meeting with his US counterpart Antony Blinken in Tokyo and expressed commitment to promoting a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.

During the meeting, the two leaders discussed upcoming opportunities to strengthen collaboration between India and the US on shared priorities, according to the statement released by the US State Department.

In a statement, the US State Department said, “Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar today in Tokyo. Secretary Blinken and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar affirmed the United States and India’s commitment to promoting a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.”

“The Secretary and the External Affairs Minister discussed upcoming opportunities to deepen U.S.-India collaboration on shared priorities. Secretary Blinken underscored the importance of realizing a just and enduring peace for Ukraine consistent with the UN Charter,” it added.

EAM Jaishankar said that he and Blinken held talks on regional and global issues. Jaishankar said that he looked forward to attending the Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting on Monday.

Quad is a diplomatic partnership between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, committed to supporting an open, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient