Atlanta, Oct 30 (IANS) The Foreign Ministers of India, the United States, Japan and Australia are set to hold a Quad meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Atlanta, with maritime security and the free flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz expected to dominate the talks.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who travelled with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, announced the meeting shortly after landing in the Georgia capital.
“Just landed in Atlanta with @SecRubio! Productive G20 meetings ahead, especially a QUAD Ministerial with our partners Japan, India and Australia! This will be the 3rd meeting of the year, after New Delhi and Manila,” Gor said on social media platform X on Friday morning.
The Quad Ministerial does not appear on Rubio’s public schedule for Friday released by the US State Department, which suggests it will take place on Saturday, the second day of the G20 meeting.
External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar arrived in Atlanta late on Thursday. He is joined by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, both listed in the State Department’s delegation list for the G20 meeting.
Maritime routes are expected to be a key theme.
Wong has said Australia had joined the EU-led “No Fees/No Tolls” pledge, “opposing unlawful fees and tolls that would undermine freedom of navigation and set a dangerous precedent for international shipping”.
The talks come as tension persists in the Gulf.
Iran has said four tankers struck mines in the Strait of Hormuz and disputed a statement by the US Central Command that the lanes were clear.
The US G20 Presidency’s official account posted that the US “is getting G20 back to its core mission: Economic Growth and Economic Security”.
Rubio’s Friday schedule includes a session on geopolitical issues and another on energy and economic growth.
The Atlanta meeting is also expected to prepare the ground for the Quad leaders’ summit, which is due to be held in the Philippines next month.
India, the US, Japan and Australia have used the Quad to coordinate on maritime domain awareness, critical technologies, supply chains and disaster response in the Indo-Pacific.
EAM Jaishankar’s visit to the US follows Rubio’s trip to India from October 20 to 22.
The Minister is scheduled to travel next to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua from November 1 to 4.
Announcing the visit, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “On the sidelines of this meeting, he will also participate in a QUAD Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and also have several bilateral engagements with his counterparts.”
A joint statement is expected after the Quad meeting.
–IANS
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