By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – India Minister of State for External Affairs, MoS Pabitra Margherita on Saturday held interactions with the US and Japan foreign ministers on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit being held in Malaysia.
MoS Margherita on X expressed delight upon meeting the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
He said, “Delighted to meet US Secretary of State @secrubio on the sidelines of the 15th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.”
Margherita also met Japan’s Foreign Minister, Takeshi Iwaya, on the sidelines of the Summit.
“Glad to meet H.E. Takeshi Iwaya, Foreign Minister of Japan, on the sidelines of the 15th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia”, he wrote on X.
He thanked Timor-Leste for its support to India in the fight against terrorism, MoS Margherita underscored the ongoing bilateral cooperation for further strengthening of ties.He said ” Happy to have met Bendito Freitas, Foreign Minister of Timor-Leste, in the margins of ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur today.
They discussed the bilateral cooperation to strengthen the Delhi-Dili partnership.
He thanked Timor-Leste for solidarity with India in its fight against terrorism”.
Margherita also extended thanks to Cambodia for supporting India’s fight against terrorism and discussed the multifaceted partnership.
“Delighted to have a meeting with H.E. PRAK Sokhonn, Dy. PM and Foreign Minister of Cambodia on the sidelines of ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Malaysia.
They discussed our multifaceted bilateral relations ranging from heritage conservation to development partnership. Also discussed my recent visit to Cambodia during which I had a number of productive engagements. Thanked Cambodia for its support in India’s fight against terrorism”, MoS Margherita said on X.
The high-level interactions with the US and Japanese leaders came after External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar had met them during the QUAD Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Washington, DC earlier this month.
Foreign ministers of the Quad nations met in Washington, DC, on July 1 to reaffirm their steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Japan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Takeshi Iwaya, and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed concern about the situation in the East China Sea and South China Sea.
They reiterated their strong opposition to any unilateral actions that attempt to change the status quo by force or coercion.
Foreign Ministers expressed concern regarding dangerous and provocative actions, including interference with offshore resource development, the repeated obstruction of the freedoms of navigation and over flight, and the dangerous manoeuvres by military aircraft and coast guard and maritime militia vessels, especially the unsafe use of water cannons and ramming or blocking actions in the South China Sea.
Quad members had unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms, the Joint Statement from the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting stated.
The members, referred to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
The 15th East Asia Summit reviewed the ongoing EAS cooperation and discussed its future direction, and also exchanged views on regional and international developments.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to the media on the sidelines of the meeting praised the visit.
He underscored that the US is the number one source of foreign direct investment in Southeast Asia.
“We’re not abandoning any of that, nor are we abandoning these strong bilateral ties that we have with many of these countries, some of which go back decades and decades”.
He highlighted, “It’s been a great visit. It’s exceeded all of our expectations”.
