New Delhi: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar will visit the Philippines on July 22–23 to attend the ASEAN framework discussions as well as participate in the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the United States.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Jaishankar will participate in Foreign Minister level Meetings under the ASEAN framework, including the ASEAN-India, East Asia Summit (EAS) and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Meetings in Manila.
“The visit underscores India’s deepening engagement with ASEAN under the Act East Policy and reaffirms our strong commitment to further strengthening the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. It is of particular significance that 2026 has been designated as the ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation,” read a statement issued by the MEA.
“On the margins of the ASEAN-related meetings, External Affairs Minister will be participating in a Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the United States. He is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from participating countries,” it added.
Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in the Philippines to attend the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and the ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
During his stay in Manila, Rubio will also meet with senior government officials from the Indo-Pacific countries and take part in the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
“The Secretary’s visit advances a clear US priority: a free and open Indo-Pacific that delivers safety, security, and prosperity for the region and for the American people. Secretary Rubio will use this trip to demonstrate the tangible results of US-ASEAN partnership and to deepen the United States’ comprehensive partnership with the Philippines,” the US State Department mentioned ahead of Rubio’s arrival in Southeast Asia.
The 11th Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held in New Delhi on May 26 this year during which the partner countries launched the first ever Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration (IPMSC) initiative.
The IPMSC is set to leverage Quad country maritime surveillance in the Indo-Pacific, enhancing information sharing and maritime domain awareness capacity with an initial focus on the Indian Ocean Region as well as through subject matter expert exchanges and tabletop exercises.
(IANS)
