A more focused Quad will help deliver better, says Jaishankar

India has “every right” to defend its people against terrorism, and the partners of the Quad grouping should “appreciate” that, said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Washington D.C., where he participated in the Quad Foreign Ministers-level meeting on Tuesday (July 1, 2025).

Mr. Jaishankar said a “more focused Quad” will “help deliver better”, while Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, in her opening remarks, made the mention of the March 28 earthquake in Myanmar where the Quad partners mobilised “quickly” to help the affected communities.

“A word about terrorism in the light of our recent experience: The world must display zero tolerance. Victims and perpetrators must never be equated, and India has every right to defend its people against terrorism, and we will exercise that right. We expect our Quad partners to understand and appreciate that,” said Mr. Jaishankar in his opening remarks at the meeting, which is being hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Mr. Rubio had hosted his counterparts from Australia, India and Japan on the sidelines of the swearing-in ceremony of President Donald Trump in January.

‘Significant progress’

Mr. Jaishankar reiterated India’s commitment to rules-based international order and the “free and open Indo-Pacific” and announced that India was on track to host the next Quad leaders’ summit. The meeting in Washington DC is also being attended by Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya. “It is essential that nations of the Indo-Pacific have the freedom of choice, so essential to make right decisions on development and security,” said the External Affairs Minister, announcing that the grouping had made “significant progress” in maritime domain, logistics, education and political coordination in the last few months.

“The working of the Quad is also being made more efficient through streamlining the Working Groups. A more cohesive, nimble and focused Quad will certainly help deliver better,” said Mr. Jaishankar. He said India had some proposals to make the next Quad summit “productive”.

Ahead of the ministerial meeting, Mr. Jaishankar met his Japanese counterpart Mr. Takeshi Iwaya and held “comprehensive discussions on infrastructure, investment and mobility”. “Our special, strategic and global partnership continues to deepen and diversify,” said the External Affairs Minister.

Ms. Wong echoed Mr. Rubio’s earlier remarks and described the Indo-Pacific as the region where the “future of the 21st century is being shaped”. “Unfortunately, we meet in the backdrop of conflict and of escalating competition,” said Ms. Wong, arguing that in the backdrop of various conflicts, it was necessary to harness Quad’s “collective strength for peace, stability and prosperity for the Indo-Pacific and for our people.”

She also noted that the Quad partners mobilised quickly to help Myanmar in the backdrop of the devastating earthquake that hit the country in March. Mr. Rubio mentioned that the Quad could “focus and build upon” the global supply chain of critical minerals.