New Delhi, Oct 20 (PTI) The next edition of the Quad Summit is set to be held on the margins of the ASEAN Summit in the Philippines next month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump and leaders of Australia and Japan are expected to attend the summit during the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit scheduled for November 16 to 17 in Manila.
In an interview, the US Secretary of State told Network 18 that the US hoped the Quad Summit would be held before year-end.
“We are going to do it in Manila, at the ASEAN conference. We don’t have the specific date yet, but that’s going to happen, and we’re very enthusiastic about it,” he said.
“We look forward to being a part of that at ASEAN here in just a few weeks,” Rubio added.
India had planned to host the Quad Leaders’ Summit last year, but it did not take place as there was no clarity from Washington on Trump’s visit to the country.
To a question on growing ties between the US and Pakistan notwithstanding New Delhi’s concerns over Islamabad’s support to cross-border terrorism, Rubio said the US is opposed to terrorism anywhere in the world but needs to maintain ties with Pakistan.
“We are against terrorism anywhere in the world. We’re against anybody who sponsors terrorism. In my new role — I’m no longer a senator; I’m the Secretary of State — I have to manage the foreign policy of the United States,” he said.
“And that does require us to have relationships with countries, including those that we may have some disagreements with,” he said.
“In the case of Pakistan, it’s a country that we have to have a relationship with. It’s a country that possesses nuclear weapons,” Rubio said.
“It’s a country that, from a geographic standpoint, we need to be able to interact with them, in much the same way as the Government of India has to have and has a relationship and meets with leaders from Iran,” he added. PTI MPB RUK
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