January 20, Washington: On the 20th, Jaishankar held bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of Japan and Australia. These foreign ministers were in Washington to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Donald Trump.
India’s External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong attend the ceremony where he posted on X, “Delighted to meet the FM @senatorwong, a quad colleague, in Washington DC today. As always, enjoyed our discussion on the state of the world” after meeting Australian FM Penny Wong.
The Quad was started during the first term of Donald Trump with a prime aim of a free and open Indp-Pacific region. Australia, India, Japan, and the United States are the member states. The outgoing Joe Biden administration elevated the forum to a leadership level.
Rubio and President-elect Trump have made it a priority to take the India-US relationship to the next level, sources told a news agency. Rubio is keen to have his first bilateral with Jaishankar once he is confirmed as Secretary of State, the sources said.
The meeting might happen within a few hours of Rubio arriving at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department. Rubio’s Senate confirmation is expected on Monday evening and he is likely to be sworn in as the top American diplomat soon.
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