Quad ministers announce maritime, energy and minerals cooperation

Quad foreign ministers announced new initiatives on maritime security, critical minerals, energy resilience and undersea cable connectivity at their meeting in New Delhi

The foreign ministers of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, concluded their meeting here on Tuesday morning by announcing key new initiatives to strengthen maritime and transnational security, economic prosperity and security, critical and emerging technology, and energy security across the Indo-Pacific region.

 

On the margins of the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting, India and the United States firmed up a key framework for cooperation in ensuring steady supplies of critical minerals and their mining. Addressing a joint media briefing by the Quad foreign ministers, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the groundwork for the agreement was laid on February 4 when the other three ministers joined him at the Critical Minerals Forum hosted in Washington, DC, and it gained momentum after India signed on to Pax Silica.

 

 

The Quad foreign ministers — India’s S Jaishankar, Australia’s Penny Wong, Japan’s Toshimitsu Motegi, and Rubio — addressed the media at Hyderabad House in the national capital after their meeting, but did not take any questions.

 

Uncertainty remains about whether India will host the Quad Summit, which was scheduled for New Delhi last year but was postponed. The chair of the Quad was to be handed over to Australia this year. Sources, however, said India will host the Quad Summit whenever it takes place, whether this year or next. The Quad comprises the US, India, Australia, and Japan. The last Quad Summit took place in the US in 2024.

 

After their meeting, the Quad partners launched the first-ever Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration (IPMSC) initiative 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.

 

They also announced that India will host the next edition of the Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission to strengthen interoperability and knowledge-sharing to best address unlawful maritime activities across the region.

 

The Quad partners announced the new Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework, which will guide Quad partners to leverage economic policy tools and coordinate investment to strengthen critical minerals supply chains, including in mining, processing, and recycling.

 

The Quad partners announced the Quad Initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security to help strengthen regional energy resilience. Under this initiative, each member country will leverage unique resources and capabilities from their respective energy sectors.

 

The Quad also committed to identifying critical port projects that it can support to increase trade and economic prosperity by increasing port infrastructure and capacity for key Indo-Pacific corridors. The Quad countries will work with Fiji to advance port infrastructure and associated activities in the country.

 

The Quad members committed to providing security to undersea cable networks and will ensure that all Pacific Islands Forum countries are connected via undersea cables by 2026 to secure their digital futures. The Quad partners are together providing assistance exceeding $25 million for this, a statement said.

 

The Quad members announced over $6 million in awards for six international research projects in agriculture for better crop yields, pest management, and food security.