Delhi, May 26: Marco Rubio on Tuesday announced several new Quad initiatives focused on maritime security, port infrastructure, energy security and critical minerals during the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting in New Delhi.
Addressing a joint press briefing alongside External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, Rubio described the Quad as a major strategic and economic partnership representing nearly one third of the world’s GDP.
He said the four democratic nations aimed to transform the Quad into a “partnership of action” with concrete outcomes across the Indo-Pacific region.
Quad Focuses On Maritime Security And Critical Minerals
Rubio announced the launch of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Cooperation initiative and expansion of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness programme to improve information sharing and maritime monitoring across the region.
He also thanked India for agreeing to host the next Quad at Sea mission involving coast guard cooperation among the four member countries.
According to Rubio, around 60 percent of global maritime trade passes through the Indo-Pacific region, making maritime security critical for global trade and regional stability.
The Quad nations also announced plans to strengthen cooperation on port infrastructure development. Rubio said the grouping would work with Fiji to improve port infrastructure projects.
On critical minerals, Rubio unveiled the Quad Critical Minerals Framework aimed at strengthening supply chains related to mining, processing and recycling of key minerals.
The US Secretary of State further announced the Quad Initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security to improve regional energy resilience and fuel security cooperation.
He said the United States Department of Energy would host a Quad fuel security forum later this year to discuss technology cooperation, energy management and emergency response coordination.
Rubio described the Quad as a cornerstone of US global strategy and stressed that the partnership would continue expanding through practical cooperation across strategic sectors.
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