A prep call meeting for all EAMs of the QUAD Nations is about to be held on the 1st of July in Washington DC. The QUAD or the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue is a strategic partnership between four countries— India, US, Japan, and Australia. The QUAD aims to promote a free and open Indo- Pacific region and curb China’s growing influence.
The July 1 meeting of external affairs ministers will have S. Jaishankar representing India, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya from Japan and Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be chairing the meeting as its host. The aim for this meet will be to set the agenda for the Quad Leaders’ Summit, which India will be hosting later this year. The main focus will be the Indo Pacific after US interests were diverted to conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Trade disputes under President Donald Trump’s administration will also be in discussion.
The agenda is likely to prioritise maritime security, infrastructure development and critical technologies. Several Chinese ‘spy’ vessels have been operating in the Indian Ocean off late creating much cause for concern for QUAD nations. The meeting will reinforce the Quad’s commitment to counter the communist China despite its criticism of the Quad as a containment mechanism. India views its role as constructive.
Simultaneously, Jaishankar is expected to brief his counterparts Rubio, Wong, and Iwaya on India’s stance on the conflict in West Asia. This will also be Jaishankar’s first meeting with US top officials since the conclusion of Operation Sindoor, India’s targeted response to Pakistan sponsored terrorism. There have been minimal state visits to the US after President Donald Trump claimed to have brokered a ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan over trade deals. An all party delegation did visit the USA but on a diplomatic mission to clarify India’s stance on cross border terrorism. A follow up call between Prime Minister Modi and Trump on 18th of July clarified no US mediation or trade deal were discussed during the ceasefire process, countering Trump’s claims.
