External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, currently in the United States to attend the Critical Minerals Ministerial hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said that the two sides also carried out a detailed review of bilateral cooperation during their meeting.
The EAM said discussions covered key global and regional issues, including the Indo-Pacific, West Asia and the Ukraine conflict.
“We did a fairly detailed review of our bilateral cooperation. It’s natural when foreign ministers meet to discuss the diplomatic agenda and the calendar — what we expect each other to do together over the year. A large part of our discussion focused on the bilateral relationship. At the same time, foreign ministers also talk about broader global developments — the Indo-Pacific, West Asia, the Middle East, Gaza and the Ukraine conflict. There was a comprehensive global review, making it an open and forthcoming conversation,” Jaishankar said.
At the Critical Minerals Ministerial, Jaishankar underlined India’s support for the FORGE (Forum on Resource, Geostrategic Engagement) initiative.
“I am here to attend the Critical Minerals Ministerial convened by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with participation from nearly 50 countries. The discussions have been very positive. Critical minerals are a vital area, and the US has been a partner for several years. Today, a new initiative — FORGE — was launched, which we support. It succeeds the Mineral Security Partnership. Overall, it was a productive and outcome-oriented meeting,” he said.
Earlier, addressing the ministerial, Jaishankar warned that “excessive concentration” in critical mineral supply chains poses a major global risk and called for structured international cooperation to “de-risk” them, as India deepens engagement with the US-led framework on strategic minerals.
His remarks come as India’s participation in the US-led critical minerals dialogue signals a shift from strategic intent to industrial execution. The announcement of dedicated rare earth corridors in India’s 2026 Budget is seen as a key step, reflecting a move beyond resource security towards building domestic processing, separation and magnet manufacturing capabilities. (Agencies)
