New Delhi, Sep 6 (PTI) Senior officials of the Quad grouping comprising India, Japan, the US and Australia held deliberations here for two days, their first meeting since the standoff over Taiwan.
Vani Rao, Joint Secretary (Americas) in the Ministry of External Affairs, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu, Deputy Minister for Foreign Policy of Japan Keiichi Ichikawa, and Australia's Deputy Secretary in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Justin Hayhurst took part in the meeting.
"Senior officials from the Foreign Ministries of Australia, India, Japan and USA discussed regional & global developments, reaffirming their vision for a free, open & inclusive Indo-Pacific," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi.
He said the senior officials also reviewed ongoing cooperation and progress of initiatives announced under the Quad Framework.
The senior officials held their deliberations on Monday and Tuesday.
The US embassy said Lu joined Senior Quad Officials from Australia, Japan, and India to discuss ways to advance ongoing cooperation to realize the shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of the standoff between over Taiwan, following the visit of US Congress Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The visit drew sharp reactions from China, which slammed the US and imposed unspecified sanctions on Pelosi.
