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Newly appointed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet the foreign ministers of the QUAD member countries on Tuesday (local time), according to a statement from the US Department of State.
As per the details shared by the department, Secretary Rubio will convene with the Indo-Pacific QUAD Foreign Ministers at the Department of State at 1 PM (local time). This will be followed by a bilateral meeting with India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at 3:45 PM. Later, Rubio is scheduled to hold individual meetings with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi at the Department of State, the statement noted. The QUAD is a diplomatic partnership among Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, committed to fostering an open, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient. On Monday, Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed her satisfaction over the invitation extended to the Foreign Ministers of the QUAD nations for the inauguration of US President Donald Trump. She emphasized that this reflects the "collective commitment of all nations to the QUAD" and highlighted the importance of close cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. "The Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting is expected to be in Washington, DC for the inaugural ceremony of President Trump...We will share the further details," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had also said in the weekly press briefing earlier. Last year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the QUAD Leaders' Summit in the United States. Held in President Joe Biden's hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, the summit saw leaders from India, the US, Australia, and Japan agree to enhance cooperation and work towards a safe and secure Indo-Pacific. (ANI)
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