Top US diplomat holds inaugural meetings with Asian, Australian counterparts

By Anadolu staff

Marco Rubio, the new US secretary of state, has met in Washington with his counterparts from Japan, Australia, and India on his first day in office, according to official statements.

Rubio held separate meetings on Tuesday with the three -- Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

According to statements by the State Department on Tuesday, Rubio and Wong discussed efforts to "continue security cooperation through AUKUS and bilateral defense initiatives, and to enhance our partnership on critical minerals and global supply chain security."

As part of the 2021 AUKUS alliance, the US, UK, and Australia are jointly developing nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy.

In his meeting with Jaishankar, Rubio emphasized the Trump administration’s desire to work with India to “advance economic ties and address concerns related to irregular migration.”

New US President Donald Trump has issued several executive orders that aim to clamp down on illegal immigration and advance his goal of deporting millions of illegal immigrants, many of whom are said to be Indians.

Meanwhile, Rubio and Ishawa discussed how to “counter ongoing threats in the Indo-Pacific and around the world, including joint efforts against China’s destabilizing actions.”

The two also talked about concerns over North Korea’s “political and security alignment with Russia, as well as China’s support for Russia’s defense industrial base.”

Earlier, the diplomats also held a joint meeting of Quad, a so-called grouping of the four nations.

"On day one as Secretary of State, I hosted the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India, and Japan for an important meeting of the Quad. We are committed to strengthening economic opportunity and peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region," Rubio said on X.

* Writing by Islamuddin Sajid.