Quad Nations Reaffirm Commitment to Free and Open Indo-Pacific
India on Tuesday underscored the growing strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific as leaders from the Quad grouping gathered in New Delhi for high-level discussions on regional security, economic resilience and emerging global challenges.
Opening the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the four-member alliance shares a collective responsibility to preserve a “free and open Indo-Pacific” amid evolving geopolitical and economic pressures.
Highlighting the significance of the meeting, Jaishankar noted that the ministers were convening for the third time in less than 18 months, reflecting the increasing urgency of cooperation among the Quad partners.
“Meeting for the third time in less than 18 months, we will be discussing and deciding our shared activities,” Jaishankar said while addressing the gathering in New Delhi.
Quad Focuses on Supply Chains, Maritime Security and Technology
The Indian minister emphasized that the Indo-Pacific continues to remain central to global economic growth and regional stability, but warned that emerging vulnerabilities in global supply chains and infrastructure networks require coordinated action.
He pointed to issues such as manufacturing concentration, connectivity bottlenecks, critical infrastructure gaps and resource dependencies as areas demanding stronger international partnerships.
“At the global level, we have to address supply chain resilience, connectivity choke points, manufacturing and resource concentrations and gaps in critical infrastructure,” Jaishankar stated.
According to him, the Quad nations are seeking to strengthen strategic confidence through trusted partnerships, while simultaneously boosting maritime security and economic cooperation across the region.
Quad Expands Cooperation Across Key Strategic Areas
Jaishankar said officials from the four countries have accelerated collaboration in several priority sectors over recent months, including maritime security, critical and emerging technologies, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief operations and economic resilience.
“Over the past several months, our officials have advanced collaboration across key core priorities, including maritime security, critical technologies, economic resilience and HADR,” he said.
The minister further stressed that democratic values and open-market principles form the foundation of Quad cooperation.
“As maritime democracies, pluralistic societies and market economies, we share the responsibility towards a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Jaishankar added.
Senior Leaders Attend Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
The meeting brought together senior diplomats from all four Quad member nations — India, the United States, Japan and Australia.
Among those attending were Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The Quad alliance has increasingly expanded its agenda beyond security cooperation, focusing on resilient supply chains, critical minerals, infrastructure development, disaster response mechanisms and advanced technologies in the Indo-Pacific region.
