Washington, DC (USA), January 23 (ANI): “India will host Quad this year” EAM Jaishankar at Quad Media Briefing | Washington DC

Initiatives spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump have matured, paving the way for an ambitious future US-India partnership, said EAM S Jaishankar

On his first full day as secretary of state, Marco Rubio is meeting with his counterparts from a group of countries known as the Quad: the United States plus India, Japan and Australia, representing nearly 2 billion people and more than a third of global GDP.

The four-nation Quad, at its foreign ministers’ meeting in Washington on Wednesday, sent a strong message to China by vowing to defend a “free and open Indo-Pacific region” and

"We have very strong degree of trust today between India and the United States, a very high level of convergence of our interests," Jaishankar said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar highlighted the Trump administration’s strong focus on strengthening India-US ties and prioritising India’s presence at the inauguration. He also emphasised a shared commitment to advancing the Quad partnership,

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that India’s inclusion in ‘Afghan Quad’, comprising Russia, China, Pakistan, and Iran, would be the ‘right step’

The Donald Trump administration hit the ground running as the new US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, hosted the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (FMM) hours after the oath ceremony. The meeting saw the leaders agree to New Delhi’s plan to host the Summit-level meeting of the grouping in India.

Quad nations sent a clear message to China by opposing any actions that change the status quo by force. They are committed to strengthening a free and open Indo-Pacific with upheld rule of law and sovereignty.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that it was clear that the United States’ new Donald Trump administration was keen on prioritising the bilateral relationship with India.

Jaishankar, while addressing a press conference in Washington DC, also said the Trump administration is keen to take Quad further and intensify its activities.