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The 11th Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in New Delhi on Tuesday, focused on the launch of new initiatives, including on maritime surveillance and critical minerals, to strengthen cooperation between member states, while underscoring the grouping's continued emphasis on practical collaboration for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Key outcomes also included initiating energy security policies alongside a joint port infrastructure pilot project in Fiji. Addressing a special media briefing after the meeting here, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, Nagaraj Naidu, said that the discussions centred around maritime and transnational security, economic prosperity and security, critical and emerging technologies, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response. "The Quad ministers had an opportunity to take a review the progress of the Quad agenda and discussed regional and global developments concerning the Indo-Pacific. The meeting reaffirmed the Quad's commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and emphasised that the Quad continues to evolve as a practical and action-oriented platform delivering tangible benefits for the region," Naidu said. "Discussions focused on the four pillars of Quad cooperation. The first pillar is maritime and transnational security. Two, economic prosperity and security. Three, critical and emerging technologies. And four, humanitarian assistance and disaster response," the official said. On maritime security, Naidu said ministers underscored the importance of secure sea lanes and strengthened maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and noted the launch of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration (IPMSC), aimed at strengthening coordination in maritime surveillance. The initiative, integrated with the latest technologies, will augment the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) by enabling the sharing of real-time information and enhancing vessel tracking, with initial focus on the Indian Ocean region, the MEA Additional Secretary stated. "The Quad has expanded its cooperation under the IPMDA, which is the Indo-Pacific Maritime Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness, including efforts towards a comprehensive common operational picture across the Indo-Pacific. The Quad today launched the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration, the IPMSC. This is aimed at strengthening the coordination in maritime surveillance," he said. According to the MEA, counter-terrorism remained a significant pillar of cooperation, with ministers strongly condemning terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism. Naidu said the joint statement issued after the meeting specifically condemned the April 2025 terrorist attack in Pahalgam and reiterated the need for decisive international action against terrorist entities, financiers and sponsors. On economic security and resilient supply chains, the Quad announced the 'Quad Critical Minerals Initiative' framework to strengthen cooperation in mining, processing, recycling and investment across trusted critical mineral supply chains. According to Naidu, the framework seeks to mobilise public and private sector support while deepening cooperation in regulatory practices, investment facilitation, recycling technologies and supply chains critical for advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies. "The Quad announced the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative framework to strengthen cooperation in mining, processing, recycling, and investment across trusted critical mineral supply chains. The idea is to mobilise public and private sector support and deepen cooperation in various areas, including regulatory practices, investment facilitation, recycling technologies, and resilient supply chains essential for advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies," he stated. In view of recent disruptions in global energy markets, the Quad also launched the Quad Initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security. "In light of the recent disruptions in global energy markets, the Quad has launched the Quad Initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security. The effort is aimed at leveraging the unique resources that Quad partners bring to the table. And the idea is to come up with an engagement plan that will focus on technology management, international market analysis, and emergency response," the MEA Additional Secretary said. The Quad ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to trusted and resilient infrastructure, including port infrastructure development in Fiji, building on the Quad Ports of the Future conference hosted by India in Mumbai last year. On critical and emerging technologies, the ministers highlighted cooperation in 5G and 6G, artificial intelligence, Open RAN, semiconductors, digital standards and strengthening undersea cable connectivity across the Indo-Pacific. The Quad also announced cooperation on next-generation communications standards and digital identity interoperability. Naidu said the Quad reaffirmed its commitment to practical cooperation in humanitarian assistance and disaster response, while also highlighting progress under the Indo-Pacific Logistics Network (IPLN), which aims to enable faster and more effective civilian disaster response across the region. According to Naidu, overall, the Foreign Ministers' Meeting demonstrated the Quad's continued focus on practical cooperation and delivery-oriented initiatives contributing to peace, stability, resilience and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. At the conclusion of the meeting, Quad partners adopted four documents -- a joint statement, a fact sheet, a joint statement on Indo-Pacific Energy Security, and the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative framework. The meeting was hosted by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at Hyderabad House in the national capital and attended by the Foreign Minister of Australia, Penny Wong and the Foreign Minister of Japan, Toshimitsu Motegi, along with the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. (ANI)
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