Freedom of sea lanes must be preserved, Quad opposes any sort of toll: Australia

Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Quad nations held in Delhi

(Quad nations refer to India, the United States, Australia, and Japan. This four-nation group was primarily formed by the United States to counter and reduce China’s dominance in the region.)

New Delhi – The impact of Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz is clearly being seen on energy security. Freedom of maritime routes must be maintained, and the Quad nations oppose the imposition of any kind of toll or charges. Quad member countries are focusing not merely on discussions, but on concrete outcomes, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said during a press conference following the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Quad nations held in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by the Foreign Ministers of India, the United States, Japan, and Australia. Representing the respective countries were Marco Rubio from the United States, Toshimitsu Motegi from Japan, and Penny Wong from Australia.

During the meeting, India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar, while speaking on the issue of terrorism, stated that there should be zero tolerance against terrorism. He further said that countries facing terrorist attacks have the right to defend themselves.