Important G-20 and Quad Foreign Ministers' meetings to be held in America's Atlanta

Meetings of the G-20 and Quad Foreign Ministers are scheduled to be held this week in the city of Atlanta, USA. According to a report by The Hindu, India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will visit Atlanta, USA, for a three-day visit from 29 to 31 October. During this visit, he will attend the G-20 Foreign Ministers' meeting organised by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Along with this, he will also participate in the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting, which will include Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japan's Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu.

According to Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong, these meetings are being held at a time when the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is disrupting global energy supplies and increasing fuel prices, which is impacting the cost of food and other essential commodities. Australia works with major global economies through the G-20 to strengthen economic resilience, support sustainable development, and advance peace and security. This week, focus will be placed on urgent global challenges, including energy security and risks to global supply chains.

As per Penny Wong, protecting the free flow of international trade is a part of this effort. Australia has joined the European Union-led 'No Fees/No Tolls' pledge, which opposes illegal fees and tolls that undermine freedom of navigation and set dangerous precedents for international shipping. They will discuss these issues with their international partners. In the Quad meeting, they will work alongside representatives from the US, India, and Japan to enhance practical cooperation on regional security, maritime security, and economic resilience so that the Indo-Pacific region can become peaceful, stable, and prosperous.

According to The Hindu's report, this is S. Jaishankar's fourth visit to America this year. Although the Ministry of External Affairs has not yet made an official announcement regarding this visit, diplomatic sources have confirmed that the meetings will include the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting. Earlier this year in May, a Quad ministerial meeting was held in Delhi, but a leaders' summit could not be organised. India holds the presidency of the summit from 2024, but the Quad leaders' summit will now be held in mid-November in Manila. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will participate in this summit. This summit to be held in Manila will be the first Quad summit to be held outside a Quad country.

Officials are working to advance the three key outcomes of the May foreign ministers' meeting for the Quad leaders' summit, which include the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Initiative, the Quad Critical Minerals Framework, and the Quad Initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security.

During the G-20 meeting in Atlanta, controversy is also likely to arise over the US decision to exclude South Africa from the G-20 this year due to bilateral tensions. Other members like Russia have criticised this decision, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has also appealed to the US to withdraw this decision. No comment has been made by India on this issue yet, but an official stated that India "always supports an inclusive G-20".

Additionally, all eyes will be on the potential trilateral meeting between Marco Rubio, Russia's Sergey Lavrov, and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Donald Trump has suggested that he is prepared to hold a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the APEC (APEC) Forum summit in Shenzhen, China, at the end of December. Trump will host the G-20 summit at the Trump National Doral Resort from 14 to 15 December. Prime Minister Modi will visit Canada, America, and Belgium in the month of December, where he will sign the India-EU Free Trade Agreement on 16 December.