External affairs minister S Jaishankar has met Japanese and Australian counterparts in Washington and reviewed bilateral ties as well Quad developments. The foreign ministers of the grouping of India, Japan, Australia and the US are likely to meet on January 21.
Jaishankar was in the American capital for the swearing in of Donald Trump as the 47th US president. Quad foreign ministers were invited to the ceremony by Trump and within hours of which the Senate confirmed Marco Rubio as the secretary of the state.
"It was good to meet with FM Takeshi Iwaya of Japan. We reviewed the progress in our bilateral cooperation. We also discussed developments pertaining to Quad," Jaishankar posted on X.
The meeting was their second bilateral engagement since the G7 foreign ministers gathering in Italy in November.
Jaishankar also met his Australian counterpart Penny Wong to explore a new agenda for maritime security and the economic component of the Quad.
"Delighted to meet FM @SenatorWong, a Quad colleague, in Washington DC today. As always, enjoyed our discussion on the state of the world," Jaishankar posted on X.
The Quad is an informal strategic forum formed amid shared concerns about China's growing power. This year, India is to host the Quad summit, which Trump is expected to attend.
"The ministers utilised the meeting to take stock of salient issues in bilateral cooperation, including in the political, security, economic, technological, and people-to-people domains," the external affairs ministry said in a statement.
It said Jaishankar and Iwaya expressed satisfaction at the level, range, and pace of exchanges between the two countries. "They agreed to maintain strategic communication through frequent dialogue, including strategic dialogue and the 2+2 dialogue of foreign and defence ministers," the MEA said in a statement.
Jaishankar also extended an invitation to Iwaya to visit India. The meeting reinforced the enduring friendship between India and Japan based on "mutual trust, shared values, and commitment to regional stability", the ministry said.
"On the 40th anniversary of the signing of the first Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Japan on Science and Technology cooperation in 1985, the ministers declared 2025-26 as the India-Japan Year of Science, Technology and Innovation," the statement said.
On January 21, in their meeting, Quad foreign ministers are expected to discuss the possibility of holding an early summit in India of the leaders of the four nations.
(With agency inputs)
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