Jaishankar holds bilateral meetings with counterparts from Japan and Australia in Washington

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a meeting with his counterparts from Australia and Japan here on Sunday, in which they discussed bilateral issues and issues related to the Quad.

The Quad, the first initiative of the Donald Trump administration, includes Australia, India, Japan and the United States.

The outgoing Joe Biden administration elevated it to leadership level.

The Quad ministerial meeting will be Marco Rubio's first priority in terms of international meetings after he is confirmed by the US Congress and sworn in as Secretary of State, reflecting the importance given to the grouping by the second term of the Trump administration.

“Pleased to meet Quad colleague FM @SenatorWong in Washington DC today. As always, enjoyed our discussion on the state of the world,” Jaishankar posted on Twitter after meeting Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

In another post after his meeting with the Japanese Foreign Minister, he said, “It was nice to meet Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya. Reviewed progress in our bilateral cooperation. Also discussed developments related to Quad.”

According to sources familiar with the transition team, Rubio and President-elect Trump have made it a priority to take India-US relations to the next level.

Sources said Rubio is keen to hold his first bilateral meeting with Jaishankar after his confirmation as secretary of state.

The meeting could take place within hours of Rubio arriving at the State Department's Foggy Bottom headquarters.

Rubio is expected to be confirmed by the Senate on Monday evening, and he could soon be sworn in as the top US diplomat.

All three Quad foreign ministers are here to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Trump as the 47th President of the US on Monday.

Earlier, Vice President-elect JD Vance welcomed Chinese Vice President Han Zheng to the US for the swearing-in.

The media release said the two leaders discussed a wide range of topics including fentanyl, trade balance and regional stability.