Washington, DC [US], July 1 (ANI): US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday emphasised the importance of diversifying the global supply chain of critical minerals, highlighting its significance for technological and industrial advancement.

During a joint press conference ahead of the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting, Rubio noted that for him personally, a key focus point of the group's discussion will be the process of diversification of the global supply chain for critical minerals.

Rubio emphasised that a reliable supply chain for these minerals is vital for all technologies and industries.

'There are many topics that we can work on and focus on. One that I've personally been very focused on is diversifying the global supply chain of critical minerals, not just access to the raw material but also access to the ability to process and refine it to usable material. It's critical for all technologies and for all industries across the board. And so having a diverse and reliable global supply chain of these is just one example of many that we can focus on and build upon and achieve some real progress on,' the US Secretary of State said.

Rubio noted that the grouping comprising the US, India, Japan, and Australia is poised to translate discussions into concrete actions to address shared global challenges, noting, 'We want to continue to build on these very important countries; these are very important strategic partners and allies of the United States, and together we have a lot of shared priorities, a lot of things we care about in the world.'

He underscored the need to move beyond conceptual discussions to actionable outcomes, highlighting that the Quad's collaboration extends beyond security to include economic development, with benefits reaching countries beyond the group's members.

'I think there are many global problems, but also problems that we face in our respective countries that can be solved by us cooperating together. One of the challenges has been that something new like this is turning meetings and gatherings where we talk about ideas and concepts into a vehicle for action, into a vehicle for actually being able to take concrete actions, and that's the next step in this great partnership - to actually begin to see,' he stated.

'Concrete actions and steps are being taken in conjunction with one another, in coordination with one another, and in partnership with one another for the benefit of our respective countries and ultimately of many other countries in the world. There are many countries that are going to benefit from this partnership even though they're not members of it. And it's not simply a security matter; it's largely, in many cases, about economic development,' Rubio added.

The QUAD is a diplomatic partnership among Australia, India, Japan, and the United States committed to supporting an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient. The QUAD's origins date back to our collaboration in response to the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

The Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting (QFMM), scheduled for July 1, will take place between the countries' foreign ministers, which include External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Japan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Takeshi Iwaya, and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. (ANI)