EAM Jaishankar meets Quad peers, carrying PM Modi's letter for US President

External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Monday attended the inauguration of President Donald Trump, who returned to power after a gap of four years, as a special envoy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Privileged to represent India as external affairs minister and special envoy of PM at the swearing-in ceremony of the 47th President of the United States of America today in Washington DC. Attended the inauguration day prayer service at St John's Church this morning," Jaishankar wrote on X.

"Along with fellow foreign ministers at the US Capitol for the inauguration ceremony," he tweeted.


Jaishankar is carrying a letter from Modi for Trump, sources said on Monday. They said that the general practice has been to send special envoys of the prime minister to attend the swearing-in ceremony of heads of state and government.

Ahead of Trump's inauguration, Jaishankar held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Australia and Japan to explore a new agenda for maritime security and the economic component of the Quad. "Delighted to meet FM @SenatorWong, a Quad colleague, in Washington DC today. As always, enjoyed our discussion on the state of the world," Jaishankar posted on X after meeting Australian FM Penny Wong.

"Good to meet with FM Takeshi Iwaya of Japan. Reviewed the progress in our bilateral cooperation. Also discussed developments pertaining to Quad," he said in another post after his meeting with the Japanese foreign minister.

It is understood that several developments in the Indo-Pacific region were on the agenda when Jaishankar met his Australian and Japanese counterparts. All three nations interestingly are stabilising their relations with China.

Meanwhile, Marco Rubio is keen to have his first bilateral with Jaishankar once he is confirmed as US Secretary of State, sources said.

If Quad foreign ministers meet on Tuesday, they are expected to discuss the possibility of holding an early summit in India of the leaders of the four nations. The meeting will give India, Japan and Australia an opportunity to understand the agenda under Trump 2.0. ET had earlier reported that the Trump administration may dilute the Biden government's agenda on climate change and health for the Quad.

Last month in a joint statement on its 20th anniversary, Quad foreign ministers reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region and the pivotal role of Southeast Asian countries in regional cooperation and development.

The statement noted that what began as an emergency response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami has now grown into a "full-fledged partnership delivering positive outcomes for the people of our region".

With inputs from agencies