‘Quad partners are essential’: US envoy Sergio Gor’s big Indo-Pacific message before Manila summit | World

Sergio Gor, the US Ambassador to India, stated that Washington’s Quad partners are essential in securing a free and open Indo-Pacific, emphasising the importance of the partnership ahead of US Secretary of State Rubio’s visit to Manila. In a post on X, he said, “Looking forward to joining @SecRubio this week in the Philippines for our second Ministerial Quad meeting of the year. The United States is committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific; our Quad partners are essential.” 

Rubio’s visit to the Philippines

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed in Manila on Sunday for a five-day mission that includes a series of ASEAN engagements and bilateral talks with regional leaders. He is set to take part in the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and the ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

On the sidelines of these meetings, Rubio will also meet his Quad counterparts from India, Japan, and Australia, marking the group’s second meeting in two months and its first since the foreign ministers last gathered in New Delhi on May 26. The Manila talks come as the Philippines hosts the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting from July 20-22 as this year’s ASEAN chair.

Gor further said the Manila discussions would be followed by a separate ministerial meeting in Australia, with both seen as building blocks toward an eventual Quad leaders’ summit that could include President Trump’s anticipated visit to India.

Quad Foreign Ministers meet

The Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting marks the second meeting held this year. As per the information, maritime security, Regional stability, and Critical Minerals & Economic Security are set to be a part of the agenda. 

The heads of state last met in person in September 2024, when the then President Joe Biden hosted leaders from India, Japan, and Australia in Wilmington, Delaware. India was scheduled to host the next leaders’ summit in 2025, but the event never took place. Although foreign ministers continue to meet frequently, the lack of a top-level summit under the Trump administration has raised serious concerns about the group’s future

US removes ‘Indo’ from its Pacific Command

The US Department of War reverted the name of its “Indo-Pacific Command” back to its original title, “US Pacific Command,” on June 17, 2026, ending an eight-year run under the previous name. The command had been renamed in 2018 to reflect the strategic link between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Moreover, US officials say that this reversal is meant to honour the command’s 70-year legacy rather than signal any change to its mission or geographic scope.

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