EAM S Jaishankar calls on Japan PM Kishida on sidelines of Quad Foreign Ministers’ meet

On Monday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida along with fellow Quad Foreign Ministers on the sidelines of the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Tokyo.

Jaishankar conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s warm regards.

In a post on X, he said, “Honored to call on Prime Minister @kishida230 along with fellow Quad Foreign Ministers today in Tokyo. Conveyed the warm regards of Prime Minister @narendramodi. Briefed him on the key takeaways from our meeting today. Appreciate his guidance for the continued growth of Quad grouping and value his views on further intensification of India-Japan relations.”

Jaishankar speaking about the Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting said he was pleased about the expansive agenda Quad has built over the years.

“I appreciate what an expansive agenda we have built up in the last few years. We are working from trusted telecom technology and undersea cable connectivity, you just heard Minister Wong talk about it… humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR), Minister Kamikawa spoke about, critical and emerging technologies, cyber and health security, climate action, infrastructure, capacity building and training, STEM education, maritime domain awareness and counter-terrorism,” EAM Jaishankar said while addressing the news conference of foreign ministers.

Jaishankar said that the Quad is not a ‘talk shop’ but a platform that generates practical outcomes.

“Our HADR conversations are reflected in understandings and SOPs between our Navies. The Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness initiative that came out of Quad today links information fusion centres. The Open-RAN network, which we have spoken about so much, is being deployed in Palau. A space-based climate warning system will be launched soon in Mauritius. Off-grid solar projects are happening in Indo-Pacific islands. During Covid, we cooperated to deliver vaccines to countries in this region. And the first cohort of Quad STEM fellowships is passing out and the second one will also cover the ASEAN,” he said.

“The overall messaging is that our four countries – all democratic polities, pluralistic societies and market economies – are working together for a free and open Indo-Pacific, for a rules-based order and for global good. That by itself is a powerful stabilizing factor in an uncertain and volatile world,” he added.