Japan-Australia-India-U.S. (Quad)
Japan-Australia-India-U.S. (Quad) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
On May 26, commencing at 9:15 a.m. local time (12:45 p.m., JST) for approximately 1 hour, Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, attended the Japan-Australia-India-U.S. (Quad) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with Senator the Hon. Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of Australia, H.E. Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India, and the Honorable Marco Rubio, Secretary of State of the United States of America during his visit to Delhi. The overview of the meeting is as follows. On the occasion of the meeting, the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Joint Statement, Factsheet on Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Quad Statement on Indo-Pacific Energy Security, and Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework were issued.
- At the outset, Minister MOTEGI explained the updated Free and Open Indo-Pacific recently announced by Prime Minister TAKAICHI. The four ministers affirmed their support for a FOIP that allows countries to develop resilience and strengthen capacity to determine their own paths and concurred, to that end, on further enhancing cooperation and advancing concrete initiatives.
- The Four Ministers held candid discussions on the situation in the Indo-Pacific region including in the East China Sea and the South China Sea to align their strategic perspectives on the regional and international situation, and confirmed their strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion. They shared grave concerns about export restrictions, including on critical minerals. They also discussed the situation regarding North Korea, condemned North Korea’s unlawful development of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction, and reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea. In addition, they expressed grave concern over North Korea’s malicious cyber activities. Furthermore, the Australian, Indian, and the U.S. foreign ministers expressed their support for the immediate resolution of the abductions issue. The four ministers also discussed the situation concerning Iran and, bearing in mind the significant impact of the situation in the Middle East on the Indo-Pacific region including in terms of energy supply, shared their views on ensuring free and safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and on the diplomatic efforts towards the stabilization of the Middle East region.
- The Four Ministers confirmed that the Quad will promote tangible initiatives that benefit the region, focusing on the four priority areas of maritime and transnational security, economic prosperity and security, critical and emerging technologies, and humanitarian assistance and emergency response. The Four Ministers also welcomed the announcements of the newly launched “Indo-Pacific Energy Security Initiative” aimed at securing a stable supply of energy in the region and the “Critical Minerals Initiative Framework” aimed at strengthening the resilience of critical mineral supply chains.
- The Four Ministers expressed that they look forward to the convening of the Quad Leaders’ Summit and the next Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and continuing their engagement to advance peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
