New Delhi [India], May 26 (ANI): US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday said the Quad grouping is evolving from a discussion platform into an action-oriented strategic partnership, emphasising cooperation on security, energy, humanitarian response, and supply chains.

Speaking at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, Rubio thanked External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and the Indian government for hosting the gathering, describing the meeting as taking place at 'an important time.'

'Over the last three days, not just I want to thank Minister Jaishankar and the Indian government for hosting us here, not just in the bilateral visit over the last three days but for hosting this important gathering here again today,' Rubio said during his opening remarks.The US Secretary of State noted that his first meeting after being sworn into office was with the Quad, saying it reflected Washington's commitment to the grouping.

'It was our goal as I began as Secretary of State, and as been pointed out earlier, my first meeting as a Secretary of State was the Quad, literally within minutes of being sworn in. And I thought that demonstrated our commitment to this process,' Rubio said.

Rubio stressed that the Quad's collective objective over the past year has been to move beyond dialogue and toward practical cooperation. 'But our goal collectively over the last year has been to turn this from a forum in which we meet and talk about problems to one where we actually do something about it,' he stated.

'I think we can report to our peoples respectively that we are beginning to do that pretty aggressively and pretty impressively on many areas of cooperation,' he added.

According to Rubio, recent global developments have made the Quad's agenda even more significant and relevant. 'And it's also interesting that on the areas that we are working together on have become even more relevant and more important because of recent events around the world,' he said.

The US Secretary of State highlighted the unique strengths that each Quad member nation brings to the partnership.

'The most interesting thing about the Quad is not simply that it is a gathering of four strategic allies in which we come together to sort of compare notes about areas of common interest,' Rubio said.

'Each of these four nations represented here today bring unique capabilities that collectively we can bring to bear on some of the most significant problems facing the world, whether it's a humanitarian response, whether it's the security of energy, whether it's the freedom of navigation, whether it's the need to diversify our supplies of not just energy but critical minerals and supply chains,' he added.

Rubio also underscored the continuing coordination among member nations outside formal meetings, saying officials remain engaged year-round to operationalise Quad initiatives.

'A lot of work happens after our meetings. Our staff go back, they coordinate year-round constantly,' Rubio said.

'We have people at the State Department that are specifically assigned to this relationship and to this forum and to turning it into action,' he added.

Rubio also expressed confidence that the Quad would continue building momentum as a 'gathering of strategic allies.'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived at the Delhi Airport on Tuesday to attend the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting. He was also accompanied by the US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor.

Earlier on Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed in Jaipur and visited the historic Amer Fort with his wife Jeanette Rubio and US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor.

Rubio is presently on a four-day official visit to India. The high-profile trip is aimed at recalibrating bilateral ties, which have faced certain headwinds since mid-last year.

At the invitation of External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio are in India to participate in the Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting today. The summit builds directly on the framework established during their last gathering in Washington, D.C., on July 1, 2025.

Discussions are expected to focus heavily on: Free and Open Indo-Pacific, reaffirming commitment to maritime security, freedom of navigation, and a rules-based order, evaluating progress on critical technology, climate resilience, and infrastructure delivery and exchanging perspectives on emerging security challenges in the region and broader international developments. (ANI)