Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, met with the foreign ministers of Australia, India, and Japan in Atlanta on Saturday. This is the third meeting of the foreign ministers of the four countries known as the "Quad" this year and was held in preparation for the leaders' summit of these four countries in Manila next month.
Leaders' Summit in Manila
The Quad leaders' summit, expected to take place from November 15 to 18 in the Philippine capital, Manila, will be the first summit since the formation of this group in 2024 and also the first summit for U.S. President Donald Trump. This summit will be held on the sidelines of the ASEAN conference and is seen as an opportunity to strengthen security and economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
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Topics Discussed at the G20 Summit
After the Quad foreign ministers' meeting, Rubio hosted a final session with the foreign ministers of the G20 countries in a two-day summit in Atlanta. The presence of Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, highlighted the deep tensions among G20 members. Anita Anand, the Canadian Foreign Minister, stated in an interview that she could not invite Lavrov to the summit but took the opportunity to speak directly with him about Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
She said: "I looked him in the eyes and told him that Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, the kidnapping of Ukrainian children, and targeting Ukrainian ships in the Black Sea are all unacceptable and contrary to international law and humanitarian laws." Lavrov responded to reporters by stating that Moscow's position on the Ukraine conflict has not changed and that Russia cannot accept Ukraine as a "military threat" to its legitimate security.
Rubio, at an event at the Georgia Aquarium last night, once again called for cooperation among G20 members in facing the complex economic and geopolitical challenges that have serious global implications. He emphasized: "Since we all face these challenges, we must work together to respond to them. The future of our nations depends on our readiness to understand that while our interests may not always align, we must always strive to cooperate where our interests do align."
Rubio expressed hope that the foreign ministers of the G20 could lay the groundwork for a successful leaders' summit on December 14 and 15 at the Trump Golf Resort in Doral near Miami.
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