Manila, July 22 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday stressed the importance of Washington’s ties with India, terming them as “vitally important”.
Rubio made the statement following his meeting with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on the sidelines of the ongoing multilateral Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) events in the Philippines.
US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and other officials were also present during the meeting.
“Always good to see my friend, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of ASEAN. We discussed regional security issues, the Quad, trade, and defense agreements. Our relationship with India is vitally important,” Rubio posted on X.
Gor described the meeting between Rubio and EAM Jaishankar as “productive” and hinted at the US Secretary of State’s visit to India later this year.
“A very productive bilateral meeting between Secretary Marco Rubio and S Jaishankar on the sidelines of ASEAN. In fact, Secretary Rubio might be coming back to India later this year… stay tuned,” Gor wrote on X.
Sharing details regarding his meeting with Rubio, EAM Jaishankar stated that they reviewed key priority areas under the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and discussed regional, global and multilateral issues of shared interest.
“Pleased to meet Secretary Marco Rubio of the USA here in Manila. Our meeting focused on areas which are priority for the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, including trade and; tariffs, energy, defence and; security, critical minerals and; artificial intelligence. We also exchanged quick perspectives on regional, global and multilateral issues of mutual interest,” EAM Jaishankar wrote on X.
They also attended the Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting along with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.
In a joint statement released following the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the four ministers underscored the Quad’s strong resolve for the Indo-Pacific region’s prosperity and its cooperation with ASEAN and its member states.
“As ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partners, we, the Secretary of State of the United States and the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India, and Japan, met today in Manila to reaffirm our commitment to strengthening a free and open Indo-Pacific and our unwavering support for ASEAN unity and centrality. We are deeply invested in the region’s success and in cooperating with ASEAN and its member states,” read the joint statement.
The member states discussed regional challenges and ways to strengthen support for the “practical implementation” of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) through “shared priorities of maritime and transnational security, economic prosperity and security, critical and emerging technologies, and humanitarian assistance and emergency response.”
The statement noted that Quad remains united in its conviction that “peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific maritime domain underpins the security and prosperity of the region.”
Quad brings together four countries – India, Australia, Japan, and the United States – with a commitment to work as a force for global good and to support an open, free, and inclusive Indo-Pacific that is prosperous and resilient.
–IANS
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