New Delhi [India], May 26 (ANI): The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday asserted that the Quad remains strong and continues to expand its engagement, dismissing speculation over any shift in the United States’ position on the grouping.
Addressing a special briefing following the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, MEA Additional Secretary Nagaraj Naidu said, “The United States is very engaged and continues to remain engaged in the Quad,” in response to questions about whether the grouping had weakened due to possible changes in Washington’s approach.
He added that the US focus on the Indo-Pacific is clearly reflected in its strategic policy documents.
“I would encourage you also to look at the US focus on the Indo-Pacific through their new National Security Strategy and their National Defence Strategy, which would also indicate to you their focus on this region and on the Quad,” Naidu said.
The United States, in its National Security Strategy released in November, supported stronger Indo-Pacific alliances and deeper Quad cooperation, emphasizing the importance of strengthening commercial and strategic ties with India, particularly in the context of regional security.
“We must continue to improve commercial and other relations with India to encourage New Delhi to contribute to Indo-Pacific security, including through continued quadrilateral cooperation with Australia, Japan, and the United States, the Quad,” the document stated.
Highlighting the frequency of engagements among Quad members, Naidu noted that the Quad Foreign Ministers have met three times within 18 months, in addition to several interactions on the sidelines of multilateral forums.
“Even Secretary Rubio in his intervention had mentioned that less than 24 hours since he was confirmed as the Secretary of State, he had hosted the Quad foreign ministers in Washington, D.C., on January 21, 2025. That was his first meeting with the Quad foreign ministers. This was soon followed by a second Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in July. And this is the third occasion that the foreign ministers are meeting. This actually talks about how active the Quad is,” Naidu said.
He further stated that cooperation within the grouping has steadily expanded, with new initiatives being introduced across multiple sectors.
“The Quad is here to stay, and the Quad will continue to keep going strong. We do not see that our work has come down; it has only increased. We’ve been adding layers of initiatives to what we keep doing in the Quad domain, and our partners are very happy with the kind of work we are doing and delivering,” Naidu added.
On the question of when and where the next Quad Summit would be held, the MEA official said the decision would be made through diplomatic consultations among member countries.
“The Quad usually discusses these dates and occasions where it is convenient for the leaders to meet because leaders’ schedules are always very difficult to pin down today,” he said.
Naidu recalled that the 2024 summit in Delaware had originally been expected to take place in India.
“There have been occasions in the past wherein, for example, the summit had taken place in Delaware in 2024. It was actually supposed to be hosted by India, but then as a gesture to President Joe Biden, who was leaving the White House, it was decided that perhaps it could be done in Delaware. So we leave it to our seniors and our foreign ministers, who are in touch with each other,” he added.
The Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was hosted by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at Hyderabad House in New Delhi and attended by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. (ANI)
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