Marco Rubio visit likely in October, Quad summit on G20 margins in US being explored

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to visit India in October, with officials preparing for a potential Quad summit in December in the United States, according to recent reports. The Quad summit, comprising the US, India, Japan, and Australia, is expected to occur on the sidelines of the G20 leaders' summit, which will be hosted by the US in Miami, Florida on December 14-15.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri convened a meeting of Quad Sherpas in New Delhi, attended by Sergio Gor of the United States, Elly Lawson of Australia, and Hiroyuki Namazu of Japan. The Quad Sherpas' meeting followed a previous gathering of Quad Foreign Ministers in New Delhi and aimed to advance ongoing initiatives and prepare for the next Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting.

During the meeting, the Quad Sherpas emphasized the importance of concrete action-oriented initiatives, focusing on areas such as maritime and transnational security, economic prosperity and security, critical and emerging technologies, and humanitarian assistance and emergency response. They also discussed developments in the Indo-Pacific and broader regional and global context.

India had previously planned to host the Quad summit last year, but strained relations with the US following former President Trump's claims of mediation between India and Pakistan and the imposition of heavy tariffs on India disrupted those plans. However, both countries are now working to mend ties, with Rubio's upcoming visit to India marking a potential step towards organizing a Quad summit in the US.