New Delhi [India], May 26 (ANI): Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Tuesday emphasised the importance of safeguarding sovereign choice and maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific, while reaffirming Australia's commitment to deeper Quad cooperation.

Addressing the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting in New Delhi, Wong praised India's role in the region and highlighted the strategic significance of the gathering.

'We meet in the world's largest democracy and a power that is so important in the shaping of the Indo-Pacific and the world,' Wong said during her opening remarks.

Referring to an earlier 2025 Quad discussion in Washington, Wong recalled Jaishankar's remarks on strategic autonomy and sovereign decision-making.

'I want to start by reflecting on a point that Minister Jaishankar made at one of our earlier Quads in Washington and spoke about choices and about doing what we can together to ensure that the Indo-Pacific and the countries within it have the freedom of choice on their security and on asserting their sovereign interests,' she stated.

'This is central to how Australia approaches our engagement in the Quad,' Wong added.

The Australian Foreign Minister stressed that while the four Quad nations have different histories and perspectives, they remain closely aligned in their broader regional goals. 'We are four sovereign nations, have our own histories and interests, but there is great alignment between our interests,' Wong said.

'We all share a vision for the Indo-Pacific, a region that is free and open,' she added.

Wong also underlined the practical outcomes achieved through Quad cooperation, particularly in areas of humanitarian response, infrastructure, maritime security, and supply chains. 'Each of us brings our unique perspective, experiences and strengths together as we work to achieve such a region,' she said.

'As the Quad, we have delivered concrete results when we responded to natural disasters,' Wong noted. 'We have also cooperated on critical infrastructure, undersea cables, maritime security and critical minerals,' she added.

Highlighting the grouping's future direction, Wong said all four nations remain committed to strengthening the Quad and ensuring it delivers tangible results for the region. 'We all want the Quad to be as strong and as effective as we can make it be, focused on delivering, and we are determined to continue its momentum,' she said.

'This is the future we want for our region, a peaceful, stable, prosperous region, and today we continue the work to build that,' Wong said.

Ahead of her visit, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong hailed Quad as a vital partnership for shaping a peaceful, stable and prosperous future for the Indo-Pacific region in a statement shared ahead of the visit.

She added, 'While in India, I will hold the 17th Australia-India Foreign Ministers' Framework Dialogue with my counterpart, Minister for External Affairs Dr S. Jaishankar. Australia and India's partnership has never been more consequential.'

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)