Atlanta, Oct 31 — The foreign ministers of India, the United States, Japan and Australia met in Atlanta on Saturday and reviewed progress on building supply chains, critical minerals, maritime cooperation and next-generation technologies, as the Quad held its third ministerial meeting this year.
The meeting, hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, brought together External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
“I was pleased to meet with my Quad counterparts in Atlanta and discuss the real progress we have made in turning our shared priorities into real benefits for the Indo-Pacific,” Rubio said in a post on X after the talks.
“As our nations continue building reliable and open supply chains, supporting next-generation technologies, increasing maritime cooperation, and securing critical minerals, the United States, Australia, India, and Japan are delivering results for our people and the nations in the region,” he said.
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Motegi welcomed the convening of the foreign ministers’ meeting for the third time this year, following the meetings in May and July.
Motegi said the meeting was “a meaningful opportunity to demonstrate the outcomes of practical cooperation, particularly including in the economic field,” according to the ministry.
“The four ministers reaffirmed that they would steadily advance concrete cooperation among the Quad toward the realization of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP),” the Japanese ministry said.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who was in Atlanta, described the gathering as a mark of Washington’s commitment to the grouping.
“Look, the Quad is very important to the United States. It’s very important that we communicate on a regular basis with our partners—with India, of course, with Japan, and Australia,” Gor told reporters just before the meeting.
“This is the third meeting that we’re having at this level, at the ministerial level, and so that’s a great thing in one year. So we had a first meeting in Delhi, as you know, we had a second meeting in Manila, and this is the third meeting here in Atlanta,” he said.
In a post on X, Gor said: “The third QUAD ministerial meeting in 6 months! Lots of ongoing work on joint initiatives.”
Earlier, he wrote that it had been “A successful G20 Ministerial Summit in Atlanta, which included the 3rd QUAD meeting of the year,” adding that Rubio “remains highly committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
The supply chain theme carried into the G20’s closing session. “At the closing G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, I made clear to our partners that secure supply chains are essential for growth,” Rubio said.
“Critical trade routes including the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb Strait must remain secure and open to commerce. And we must continue to strengthen and expand critical mineral supply chains to protect our future,” he said.
The Quad meeting is expected to help lay the groundwork for a Quad leaders’ summit.
EAM Jaishankar travels from Atlanta to Antigua and Barbuda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting from November 1 to 4.