The Quad foreign ministers are expected to meet in New Delhi next month, in what would be the first such engagement since 2023. While dates have not been announced, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor has indicated that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India in May.
In a post on X, Gor said Rubio “looks forward to visiting India next month” following a meeting with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in Washington.
The proposed meeting will bring together External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his counterparts from the United States, Japan and Australia. Delhi was expected to host the QUAD Leaders’ summit last year but Trump’s tariff war put paid to that.
Focus on Indo-Pacific
According to officials familiar with the Quad framework, key areas on the table include maritime security, counter-terrorism cooperation, and humanitarian assistance.
The ministers are also expected to discuss collaboration in critical and emerging technologies, including semiconductors, artificial intelligence and resilient supply chains.
The grouping has increasingly expanded beyond security to include economic and technological cooperation, with initiatives such as maritime domain awareness and healthcare partnerships forming part of its broader agenda.
Trade, Energy
Bilateral discussions likely to cover trade, defence cooperation and critical minerals. Energy security is expected to be a top priority. The US-Israel war on Iran has already affected the movement of tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
India’s recent moves to diversify crude sourcing, including purchases from multiple suppliers, sanction waivers on Russia and Iran could also feature in discussions. The issue has been sensitive in the past, particularly in the context of US pressure to limit imports from certain regions.
