The Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (QFIM) held in Washington placed strong emphasis on the importance of territorial integrity, sovereignty, and respect for international law.  Addressing questions on ceasefire, terrorism, and double standards, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar highlighted India’s longstanding and consistent stance against terrorism.

He criticised the West for its selective outrage and called for a stronger international consensus to combat all forms of terror uniformly. A joint statement issued by Quad Foreign Ministers,  Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Foreign Minister of Australia Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya — unequivocally condemned all acts of terrorism and violent extremism in all their forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism.

EAM Jaishankar recognised and acknowledged the challenge of finding consensus among international partners. He said that countries are not supporting each other “sufficiently enough” when countering terrorism is at stake. “Part of diplomacy is to exhort them, encourage them, persuade them, motivate them to do that, and which is why it’s important to speak up, and which is why it’s important to carry them with us to the best possibility,” he said.

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Responding to a question about the recent ceasefire between India and Pakistan following Operation Sindoor, Jaishankar firmly dismissed US involvement in the cessation between India and Pakistan countries. This comes after PM Modi’s call with US President Donald Trump and clearing the stand on Operation Sindoor.

“The record of what happened at that time was very clear and the ceasefire was something which was negotiated between the DGMOs of the two countries,” he said, directly refuting repeated claims by US President Donald Trump that he had mediated the agreement.