Will EAM Jaishankar Join the Upcoming Quad Foreign Minister Meeting?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- EAM Jaishankar to attend Quad foreign ministers' meeting in Washington.
- Meeting aims to promote a free and secure Indo-Pacific.
- First gathering post-Pahalgam attack.
- Jaishankar to launch exhibition on terrorism at the UN.
- Anticipation for the upcoming summit with global leaders.
New York, June 27 (NationPress) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is set to participate in a gathering of the Quad foreign ministers in Washington next week, ahead of the summit that India will host later this year, as confirmed by the State Department.
The meeting will be hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and will feature Foreign Ministers Penny Wong from Australia and Iwaya Takeshi from Japan next Tuesday in Washington, as stated by Principal Deputy Spokesperson Thomas Pigott on Thursday.
Pigott mentioned that Rubio’s inaugural diplomatic engagement post his swearing-in on January 21 was the Quad foreign ministers meeting, which took place the day after President Donald Trump's inauguration.
Next week’s meeting aims to “build on that momentum to promote a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific,” Pigott added.
He remarked, “This is the essence of American leadership: strength, peace, and prosperity.”
Jaishankar shared on X that he had a telephone discussion with Wong on Thursday in preparation for the Quad meeting.
This Quad meeting will mark the first assembly of the ministers following the Pahalgam attack.
Prior to heading to Washington, Jaishankar will launch an exhibition at the United Nations on Monday titled “The Human Cost of Terrorism.”
India’s UN Mission indicated that the exhibition will “showcase the devastating impact of heinous terrorist acts globally.”
This event will occur just a day before Pakistan assumes the rotating presidency of the Security Council.
The Quad meeting next week is anticipated to establish a foundation for the summit to be hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which will welcome US President Donald Trump, along with Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese of Australia and Shigeru Ishiba of Japan to India.
During their meeting in February, PM Modi expressed eagerness to host Trump at the summit.
This will be the initial foreign affairs meeting following Trump’s inauguration, signaling his administration's focus on regional issues amidst the looming threat from China.
However, global focus has shifted towards the Middle East and Ukraine.
The current de-escalation of tensions between Israel and Iran seems to provide some opportunity to refocus attention on the Indo-Pacific, where China continues to pose challenges to regional nations.