By Kirsty Needham
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia and India’s international ministers mentioned on Tuesday they had been assured the Quad group of the U.S., India, Australia and Japan would proceed to cooperate within the Indo-Pacific area whatever the end result of the U.S. presidential election.
Australia’s Overseas Minister Penny Wong instructed reporters in Canberra she had met Mike Pompeo, who served as Secretary of State within the earlier Trump Administration, forward of the U.S. election and had “a very good discussion”.
“One of the priorities for us to discuss was AUKUS, and we are very pleased at the sort of bipartisan support that we have seen,” she mentioned, referring to the defence expertise partnership between Australia, Britain and the U.S. to switch nuclear powered submarines to Australia.
Australia’s costliest defence mission, the AUKUS deal was struck below the Biden Administration in 2023.
“In terms of the U.S. election, we will work with whomever the American people choose,” she mentioned.
China objects to the Quad grouping as an effort to include it, whereas Australia, Japan, India and the U.S. say they’re like-minded democracies searching for to bolster stability within the Indo-Pacific area.
The Quad leaders agreed in September to ascertain joint coast guard patrols and elevated navy logistics cooperation.
The Quad was “very valuable” within the area, Wong mentioned. “We see it retaining its importance regardless of the outcome of the election,” she added.
Indian Overseas Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar mentioned the Quad was revived below the Trump presidency in 2017.
“When we look at the American election, we are very confident that whatever the verdict, our relationship with the United States will only grow,” he mentioned, on an official go to to Australia.
