India to host Quad foreign ministers on Friday; Indo-Pacific in focus

India will host a meeting of Quad foreign ministers on Friday that is expected to focus on the overall situation in the Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of increasing Chinese assertiveness in the region.

The meeting to be presided over by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Australia's Penny Wong.

"The next meeting of the Quad Foreign Ministers will be hosted by India on March 3 in New Delhi," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

"The meeting will be chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and will see the participation of foreign ministers of Australia and Japan and the Secretary of State of the United States of America," it said.

It said the meeting will be an opportunity for the ministers to continue their discussions held at their last meeting in New York in September 2022.

"They will exchange views on recent developments in the Indo-Pacific region and regional issues of mutual interest, guided by their vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific," the MEA said.

It said the foreign ministers will also review progress made by Quad in pursuit of its constructive agenda and implementation of initiatives aimed at addressing contemporary priorities of the region.