On Monday, July 1, 2025, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar landed in Washington, DC, for a formal visit at US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s invitation. The main item on his itinerary is to attend the July 1 Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (QFMM).
The foreign ministers of the Quad nations—Australia, Japan, the United States, and India—are gathering at this high-level conference to continue the conversations from their January 2025 session, which was also held in Washington, DC.
This meeting’s main objectives are to examine the status of several Quad programs in advance of the next Quad Leaders’ Summit, which India will host, and to share opinions on important regional and global issues, with a focus on the Indo-Pacific. It is anticipated that the ministers would also discuss fresh ideas to further their common goal of an open and free Indo-Pacific.
Jaishankar traveled to New York prior to his arrival in Washington, where he opened a digital exhibit called “The Human Cost of Terrorism” at the UN Headquarters. The exhibition, which was organized by India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, emphasizes the terrible effects of terrorist attacks around the world, including significant ones like the Mumbai bombings in 1993 and 2008, the US 9/11 attacks, and the most recent Pahalgam incident in India on April 22.
Along with information about the offenders—many of whom are connected to Pakistan-based and UN-prohibited organizations—the display includes photographs, films, and testimonies. It honors the victims and calls for international cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
“No impunity to terrorists, no treating them as proxies, and no yielding to nuclear blackmails” are the tenets of Jaishankar’s UN speech, which highlighted the urgent necessity for zero tolerance for terrorism.
He cited India’s Operation Sindoor, which targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and the UN Security Council’s harsh condemnation of the Pahalgam incident. The international community should identify and combat state support of terrorism, Jaishankar said, adding, “Terrorism anywhere is a threat to peace everywhere.”
He emphasized that fighting terrorism is a shared duty and that respecting human rights and international conventions is crucial to this effort.
In light of recent attacks and the continued difficulties posed by state-sponsored terror networks, Jaishankar’s visit and involvement in the Quad meeting as well as the UN anti-terrorism exhibition highlight India’s dual focus on Indo-Pacific regional security and international counterterrorism efforts.
