Quad Foreign Ministers Reaffirm Commitment to Free and Open Indo-Pacific

The Quad foreign ministers, including India's S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japan Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, met in Washington, D.C. for their second Quad foreign ministers' meeting this year. In a joint statement, they reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and expressed concern about the situation in the East China Sea and South China Sea. They also condemned the recent Pahalgam terrorist attack, calling for the perpetrators to be brought to justice without delay.

Key Takeaways:

• The Quad foreign ministers unequivocally condemned all acts of terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, and renewed their commitment to counterterrorism cooperation.
• The Quad condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen, while injuring several others.
• The foreign ministers called for the perpetrators, organisers, and financiers of the attack to be brought to justice without any delay and urged all UN member countries to cooperate with all authorities under international law.
• The Quad launched the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative and announced plans to host the first Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network field training exercise this year and launch the Quad Ports of the Future Partnership in Mumbai this year.
• The foreign ministers reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, defending the rule of law, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and opposing any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion.
• The Quad expressed serious concern about the situation in the East China Sea and South China Sea, including interference with offshore resource development, obstruction of freedoms of navigation and overflight, and militarisation of disputed features.
• The foreign ministers called on North Korea to abide by all its obligations under UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs) and expressed deep concern over North Korea's malicious cyber activity.
• The Quad foreign ministers expressed concern by the worsening crisis in Myanmar and its impact on the region, and called on the regime to adhere to its commitment to a ceasefire and to implement, extend and broaden ceasefire measures.
• The Quad continues to coordinate rapid responses to regional disasters and collectively contributed over USD $30 million in humanitarian assistance to support communities affected by the earthquake in central Myanmar in March 2025.

Statistics:

• 25 Indian nationals and 1 Nepali citizen were killed in the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
• The Quad condemned the attack and urged all UN member countries to cooperate with all authorities under international law to bring the perpetrators to justice.
• Over USD $30 million was collectively contributed by the Quad in humanitarian assistance to support communities affected by the earthquake in central Myanmar in March 2025.
• The Quad foreign ministers called for the perpetrators, organisers, and financiers of the Pahalgam terrorist attack to be brought to justice without any delay.

Sources:

• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio
• Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong
• Japan Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya
• New Delhi
• Washington, D.C
• United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
• Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network field training exercise
• Quad Ports of the Future Partnership
• Five Point Consensus
• Indo-Pacific