After Quad meet, Jaishankar presents Kohli-signed bat to Australian FM at Melbourne Cricket Ground

Feb 11, 2022

Melbourne [Australia], February 11 : External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar along with other Quad Foreign Ministers visited Australia's largest Melbourne Cricket Ground and presented Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne with a bat signed by former Indian captain Virat Kohli.
Taking to Twitter Dr S Jaishankar said, "A fitting end to a busy day. Quad FMs visit the @MCG. Presented @MarisePayne with a bat signed by @imVkohli. A message of fair play and rules of the game."
Notably, Australia hosted India, Japan and the United States for the fourth Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Melbourne on Friday and the top diplomats bolstered cooperation in areas including economy, security, coronavirus pandemic and free and open Indo-Pacific.
The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is a partnership of Australia, India, Japan and the US, each of whom shares a commitment to openness and transparency and challenges posed by China and the situation in Ukraine.
This is the first time Quad Foreign Ministers are meeting since the two Quad Summits last year. They will be discussing ongoing Quad cooperation in their bilateral phone calls and meetings.
Addressing a press conference at the 4th Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Jaishankar said that the interactions among Quad partners (Australia, India, Japan and the US) made it evident that robust bilateral relations between the respective countries, strategic convergences, and shared democratic values have all combined to make the group a vibrant and substantial framework.
"We are building an agenda which seeks to further our shared vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. We are keen to work together to further peace and stability and economic prosperity in the Indo-Pacific through collective efforts which address contemporary issues," said Jaishankar.
He also gave an insight into the works done by the Quad and discussed strategies for shared democratic values that have all combined to make the partnership a vibrant and substantial framework.