Quad -- India, Japan, US and Australia foreign ministers will meet on Tuesday (October 6) in Tokyo at 5 pm local time or 1.30 pm IST.
Foreign ministers of all four Quad countries -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will be present for the face to face meeting, a first amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is the 2nd such Quad FMs meet. Last year, all FMs of Quad countries met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a release said, "Foreign Ministers shall discuss the post-COVID-19 international order and the need for a coordinated response to the various challenges emerging from the pandemic."
The release said that four ministers will also "discuss regional issues and collectively affirm the importance of maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific."
On the sidelines of the meet, EAM will also have bilaterals with his Quad counterparts, including US Secretary of State. This happens even as India and the US are getting ready for 2+2 foreign and defence ministers meeting that will happen later this month.
This will be first such major diplomatic engagement of the new Japanese Prime minister Yoshihide Suga. The grouping, whose focus is on "free and open" Indo-Pacific is viewed suspiciously by China.