Jaishankar holds bilateral meetings with counterparts from Japan, Australia in Washington

Ahead of Trump inauguration, EAM Jaishankar holds bilateral meetings with counterparts from Japan, Australia in Washington

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Sunday (January 19, 2024) held meetings with his counterparts from Australia and Japan here during which they discussed bilateral issues and those pertaining to QUAD.

An initiative of the Donald Trump administration in its first term, QUAD comprises Australia, India, Japan and the United States.

The outgoing Joe Biden administration elevated it to the leadership level.

A QUAD ministerial is expected to be the first order of business in terms of international meetings of Marco Rubio once he is confirmed by the US Congress and sworn in as the Secretary of State, which is reflective of the importance given to this grouping by the second term of the Trump administration.

"Delighted to meet FM @SenatorWong, a Quad colleague, in Washington DC today. As always, enjoyed our discussion on the state of the world," Mr. Jaishankar posted on X after meeting Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

"Good to meet with FM Takeshi Iwaya of Japan. Reviewed the progress in our bilateral cooperation. Also discussed developments pertaining to Quad," he said in another post after his meeting with the Japanese Foreign Minister.

According to informed sources in the transition team, Mr. Rubio and President-elect Trump has made it a priority to take the India-U.S. relationship to the next level.