Quad countries launch Critical Minerals Initiative; Jaishankar says it would be focused particularly on mineral recovery

Washington, DC [US], July 2 (ANI): The Quad countries have launched a Critical Minerals Initiative, which will focus particularly on mineral recovery, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday. Foreign Ministers of the Quad countries also discussed regional issues in the Indo-Pacific and the Israel-Iran conflict.

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Addressing a press conference here, Jaishankar said the discussions were largely devoted to enhancing delivery on various initiatives and projects.

"We launched the Quad Critical Minerals initiative and this would be focused particularly on the mineral recovery, which is very important for all of us. Second, there is the Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network that was launched earlier in the year and we decided it will hold its field training exercise very soon...Then there is the Quad at Sea Ship Observer mission. This involves our coast guards...Then there is a maritime legal dialogue at the expert level which will be held virtually later this month," Jaishankar said.

"We took some steps to expand the Indo-Pacific Partnership on Maritime Domain awareness through our Gurugram Fusion Centre...There will be a Quad Ports of the Future partnership conference, which will focus on resilient ports and shipbuilding and of course, a Quad partnership on cable connectivity and resilience," he added.

Jaishankar mentioned a Quad business roundtable on critical minerals was also held.

"All the Quad ministers, I think we all agreed strongly that our goal in the Quad was to strengthen strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific and in this meeting, the discussions were largely devoted to enhancing delivery on various initiatives and projects. We had a very open discussion on regional issues of the Indo-Pacific," he said.

"In the light of recent developments, it is natural that we also spent some time discussing the Israel-Iran conflict also what the US had done in Iran. While our meeting was taking place, there was in parallel a Quad business roundtable on critical minerals, and there were companies from all four Quad countries which were present at that roundtable," he said.

Jaishankar participated in the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting (QFMM) along with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Japan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Takeshi Iwaya, and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

The leaders built upon the discussions held during the last QFMM, which took place in Washington DC, in January this year.

The next Quad Leaders' Summit will be hosted by India. (ANI)

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