Jaishankar and Rubio Pledge to Strengthen Ties Through Quad
Washington, DC [US], February 4:
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday (local time) pledged to expand “bilateral and multilateral cooperation” through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) during their meeting ahead of the Critical Minerals Ministerial. The two leaders also welcomed the recently announced India–US trade agreement, under which Washington has reduced tariffs on Indian goods to 18 percent.
According to a statement by US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott, Jaishankar and Rubio discussed formalising cooperation on the exploration, mining, and processing of critical minerals. They also emphasised the importance of the two democracies working together to unlock new economic opportunities and advance shared energy security goals.
“The Secretary and the Minister discussed formalising bilateral cooperation on critical minerals exploration, mining, and processing. Secretary Rubio and Minister Jaishankar welcomed the trade agreement between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi. Both leaders underscored the importance of our democracies working together to unlock new economic opportunities and advance our shared energy security objectives,” the statement said.
The two leaders also highlighted the importance of promoting shared interests in a “prosperous Indo-Pacific region.” “Secretary Rubio and Minister Jaishankar concluded their meeting by expressing their commitment to expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation through the Quad. They recognised that a prosperous Indo-Pacific region is critical to advancing our shared interests,” the statement added. The Quad includes the United States, Australia, Japan, and India as partner countries.
Jaishankar met Rubio as part of his three-day visit to the United States, during which he is participating in the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial on February 4. According to a prior notice issued by the US State Department spokesperson’s office, the United States is hosting the inaugural ministerial in Washington, DC, bringing together delegations from more than 50 countries to advance cooperation on securing and diversifying global critical minerals supply chains.
Following the meeting, Jaishankar said in a post on X that he was “pleased” to meet Rubio, noting that their discussions covered the India–US bilateral cooperation agenda as well as regional and global issues. “It was a pleasure to meet US Secretary Rubio this afternoon. We had detailed discussions on the bilateral cooperation agenda, regional and global issues. The aspects of the India–US strategic partnership discussed included trade, energy, nuclear cooperation, defence, critical minerals, and technology. We agreed to hold early meetings of various mechanisms to advance our shared interests,” he wrote.
