Rubio, Jaishankar Discuss Quad, Trade And Defense At ASEAN

MANILA-US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on July 22 stressed the importance of Washington’s ties with India, calling the relationship “vitally important” after meeting External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on the sidelines of the ongoing Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings in Manila.

US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and other officials also attended the meeting.

“Always good to see my friend, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on the sidelines of ASEAN. We discussed regional security issues, the Quad, trade, and defense agreements. Our relationship with India is vitally important,” Rubio posted on X.

Sharing details of the meeting, Jaishankar said the two leaders reviewed priority areas under the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and exchanged views on regional, global and multilateral issues of mutual interest.

The two leaders also attended the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. In a joint statement, the Quad ministers reaffirmed their commitment to a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific, support for ASEAN centrality, and cooperation on regional security, critical technologies and economic prosperity. (IANS)