Quad ministerial meeting: India, Australia, Japan, USA to discuss regional and global issues

The members are expected to exchange views on regional and global issues and to working towards an inclusive Indo-Pacific region. The leaders will also discuss the efforts to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and other issues of mutual interest such as global climate change.

New Delhi: The foreign ministers of India, Australia, Japan and the USA will hold the third Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad meeting on Thursday (February 18 ). 

The members are expected to exchange views on regional and global issues and to working towards an inclusive Indo-Pacific region.

"The Ministers will exchange views on regional and global issues especially practical areas of cooperation towards maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

The leaders will also discuss the efforts to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and other issues of mutual interest such as global climate change.

The last quad meeting was held in Tokyo in October last year. The Quad initiative also focuses on countering the Chinese hegemony in South Asia.

In the October meeting, then-US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had called out China for using its economic power to increase its hegemony over the neighbouring countries in the region.

India had called for respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty and peaceful resolution of disputes.