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Ahead of the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken holding a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Melbourne next week during the Quad Foreign Ministers Ministerial Meeting, some highlights on the expected discussions have been shared by Daniel J. Kritenbrink, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, US Dept of State.
Kritenbrink said that the key message that the US Secretary will take with him is that partnerships deliver, “there is no greater global partnership than what we are trying to accomplish through the Quad with Australia, India, and Japan."
One of the primary purposes of Secy Blinken’s trip is to attend the fourth Quad foreign ministers ministerial in Melbourne, Australia, which is being hosted by Foreign Min Marise Payne, Daniel J. Kritenbrink said.
Kritenbrink stated, it is through our partnership with these three democratic countries that we are moving so fast to deliver vaccines around the world and to build a stronger health infrastructure.
It’s through this partnership that we’re strengthening the security environment in the region to push back against aggression and coercion. And it will be through this partnership that we help support global economic recovery, he further said.
Meanwhile, the US State Department in a statement on Thursday said, "in Australia on February 9-12, Secretary Blinken will attend the fourth Quad Foreign Ministers Ministerial Meeting, hosted by Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne."
"Secretary Blinken will meet with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Foreign Minister Payne, Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Hayashi Yoshimasa, Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and other senior officials to discuss a range of bilateral and global priorities. The Secretary will also engage with students, scholars, and technology leaders in Melbourne," added the State Department.
Further, it said that "with our Quad partners, we are delivering results for our populations and the region, including by advancing cooperation on COVID-19 vaccination delivery, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, maritime security, counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, countering disinformation, climate change, and critical and emerging technologies."
Blinken will travel to Australia, Fiji, and Hawaii from February 7-13 to engage with Indo-Pacific allies and partners to advance peace, resilience, and prosperity across the region and demonstrate that these partnerships deliver.
In Fiji on February 12, Secretary Blinken will meet with Pacific Island leaders to discuss the climate crisis, ending the COVID-19 pandemic, disaster assistance, and ways to further our shared commitment to democracy, regional solidarity, and prosperity in the Pacific. The Secretary also will meet with Fiji Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama to discuss deepening bilateral engagement and ways to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific. This will be the first visit by a Secretary of State to Fiji since 1985.
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