Union External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar  said the world must display zero tolerance against terrorism. He said the victims and perpetrators must never be equated. 

India’s EAM Dr S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Japan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Takeshi Iwaya, and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong met for the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting at the US Department of State.

Jaishankar said, “A word about terrorism in the light of our recent experience. The world must display zero tolerance. Victims and perpetrators must never be equated. India has every right to defend its people against terrorism and we will exercise that right. We expect our Quad partners to understand and appreciate that.”

The external affairs minister said, “…We are all committed to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific. To that end, our endeavours are devoted to promoting a rules-based international order. It is essential that nations of the Indo-Pacific have the freedom of choice so essential to make the right decisions on development and security.”

He further said, “India plans to host the next Quad Summit. We have some proposals on how to make that productive. I am sure so do our partners. We will discuss, and I am sure that we will agree.”