Washington DC [US], February 4 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday (local time) committed to expand 'bilateral and multilateral cooperation' through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) during their meeting ahead of the Critical Minerals Ministerial and welcomed the recently announced India-US trade deal, in which Washington reduced the tariff on Indian goods to 18 per cent.

According to a readout from the US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott, EAM Jaishankar and Secretary Rubio discussed formalising cooperation on critical minerals exploration, mining, and processing and also emphasised the importance of the two democracies working together to unlock new economic opportunities and advance shared energy security goals.

'The Secretary and External Affairs Minister discussed formalizing bilateral cooperation on critical minerals exploration, mining, and processing. Secretary Rubio and Minister Jaishankar welcomed the trade deal reached between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi. The two leaders emphasized the importance of our democracies working together to unlock new economic opportunities and advance our shared energy security goals,' the readout stated.

Both leaders also called for a 'prosperous Indo-Pacific region', crucial for promoting shared interests.

'Secretary Rubio and Minister Jaishankar concluded their meeting by expressing their commitment to expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation through the Quad. They acknowledged that a prosperous Indo-Pacific region remains vital to advancing our shared interests,' the readout added.

The Quad comprises the United States, Australia, Japan, and India as partner countries.

EAM Jaishankar met with Rubio as part of an ongoing three-day visit to the United States, during which he is participating in the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial on February 4.

The United States is set to host the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial in Washington DC, bringing together delegations from over 50 countries to advance collaboration on securing and diversifying global critical mineral supply chains, according to a prior notice issued by the Office of the Spokesperson of the US State Department.

Following his meeting, EAM Jaishankar, in a post on X, said that he was 'delighted' to meet with Rubio, stating that both sides held conversations that covered the India-US 'bilateral cooperation agenda, regional and global issues'.

'Delighted to meet US Secretary Rubio this afternoon. A wide-ranging conversation covered our bilateral cooperation agenda, regional and global issues. Facets of India-US Strategic Partnership discussed included trade, energy, nuclear, defence, critical minerals, and technology. Agreed on early meetings of various mechanisms to advance our shared interests,' EAM said in his post.

Secretary Rubio also shared on X, stating, 'Met with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar to discuss our bilateral cooperation on critical minerals exploration and work together to unlock new economic opportunities between our two countries. We also commended the trade deal between the United States and India.' (ANI)