External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday, 27 May 2025 opened the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi by calling on the four-nation grouping to reinforce the Indo-Pacific as an indispensable engine of global growth and stability. Addressing counterparts from Australia, Japan, and the United States, Jaishankar framed the gathering as a moment to translate shared values into concrete action.

Key Statements from the Opening Remarks

Jaishankar noted that the ministers were convening for the third time in under 18 months, signalling the grouping's growing operational tempo. 'Meeting for the third time in less than 18 months, we will be discussing and deciding our shared activities. Obviously, that will take into account the many challenges and opportunities in the world. Our focus will clearly be on the Indo-Pacific, which is the specific limit of the Quad,' he said.

He emphasised that the four nations — as maritime democracies, pluralistic societies, and market economies — carry a shared responsibility toward a free and open Indo-Pacific. 'The region must remain a driver for global growth and stability,' Jaishankar added, underlining the meeting's central theme.

Agenda: Supply Chains, Connectivity and Critical Infrastructure

Jaishankar identified several structural challenges the Quad must collectively address: supply chain resilience, connectivity choke points, manufacturing and resource concentration gaps, and deficits in critical infrastructure. He argued that each of these pressure points presents a fresh case for deeper partnerships and stronger economic growth.

'At the global level, we have to address supply chain resilience, connectivity choke points, manufacturing and resource concentrations and gaps in critical infrastructure. Each one of them offers a new argument for more partnerships, stronger growth and realising the promise of technologies,' he said.

Progress on Quad Priorities

Jaishankar reported that Quad officials had, over the preceding months, advanced collaboration across four core pillars: maritime security, critical technologies, economic resilience, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR). He described progress across several initiatives as 'encouraging', while stressing that the Indo-Pacific's specific concerns — including strategic confidence and economic choice — require 'trusted and transparent partnerships.'

This comes amid heightened regional attention to Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea and growing competition over critical minerals and semiconductor supply chains — areas where the Quad has been quietly building institutional capacity since its 2021 revival.

Who Attended the Meeting

The meeting brought together Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio alongside Jaishankar. The Quad — comprising Australia, India, Japan, and the United States — focuses on maritime security, resilient supply chains, critical minerals, infrastructure development, disaster relief, and emerging technologies.

With the next Quad Leaders' Summit on the horizon, Tuesday's ministerial deliberations are expected to set the agenda for heads-of-government-level commitments.