External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met his Australian counterpart Penny Wong and discussed steps to deepen bilateral ties, including in security, trade and education, and enhance practical cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
Jaishankar and Wong are in Tokyo to attend the meeting of foreign ministers of the Quad or Quadrilateral Alliance, a grouping of four countries.
“This morning started off well with a meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Senator Wong in Tokyo,” Jaishankar said in a post on XTV.
He said, “Talked about further steps to further strengthen our bilateral relations, including security, trade and education. Also discussed further deepening our practical cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. Hope to continue this in the Quad Foreign Ministers meeting soon.”
Australia, India, Japan, and the United States are members of the Quad.
In November 2017, the four countries gave shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the Quad to develop a new strategy to keep the vital sea lanes in the Indo-Pacific region free from any influence.
On Sunday, Jaishankar held “wide-ranging” talks with his American counterpart Antony Blinken against the backdrop of uneasiness in India-US ties following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia three weeks ago.
Earlier, he also unveiled a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Freedom Plaza in Edogawa, Tokyo.
Jaishankar arrived in Japan from Laos on Sunday on a two-day visit for the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting.
tune in