Quad foreign ministers agreed in Atlanta to broaden cooperation across strategic sectors. The commitments signal a push for practical Indo-Pacific security and economic outcomes.

The foreign ministers of the Quad countries have agreed to expand cooperation in artificial intelligence, critical minerals and maritime security, news agency Press Trust of India reported. They also announced a business leaders' forum to promote commercial agreements in key sectors.

At their third meeting this year, the ministers from India, the US, Japan and Australia said they intended to provide US$85 million in technical assistance to expand access to trusted artificial intelligence across the Indo-Pacific. They also announced the first Sea Dragon 2027 maritime surveillance collaboration initiative for the region.

The meeting was hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Atlanta on Saturday. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi attended the talks.

Responding to a question about the meeting, Rubio told reporters: "The best way to make a forum useful and important is to make sure that it does something, not just talks about it but does it." According to PTI, a joint statement issued after the meeting said the ministers were looking forward to the Quad Leaders' Summit on the sidelines of the ASEAN-East Asia meetings in the Philippines in mid-November. "I think hopefully when our leaders meet, in November, they will be able to announce some more concrete steps," Rubio said.

The ministers announced the first Quad Business Leaders' Forum to strengthen links between the public and private sectors and promote commercial agreements in key areas. They also said the Quad export credit agencies would meet in Tokyo on November 18 to identify opportunities for practical cooperation and deepen economic ties.

The statement said the second Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer mission was conducted from September 25 to October 7, with representatives from all four countries aboard an Indian Coast Guard offshore patrol vessel. The ministers described the mission as a significant step towards improving coordination among the Quad countries at sea to tackle unlawful maritime activities.

The ministers also announced the first Quad Maritime Domain Awareness Track 1.5 Symposium under the Quad Maritime Training Initiative in early 2027. The symposium will allow regional partners to discuss approaches, technologies and information-sharing related to monitoring maritime activity.

The Quad members said they would identify priority countries for cooperation on trusted advanced communication technologies, including 5G, 6G, Open Radio Access Networks, artificial intelligence-based radio access networks and related systems. They also plan to develop a pipeline of trusted 5G projects and explore future cooperation on artificial intelligence-based radio access networks.

The ministers pledged to dismantle cyber scam operations that threaten national and international peace and security. They also welcomed the US commitment to provide US$10 million to support infrastructure and facilities in India and ASEAN countries for recovering critical minerals from waste.

The statement said the Quad countries had strengthened cooperation on critical mineral supply chains by working together to recover such minerals from electronic waste and scrap materials, reducing reliance on any single supplier.

The meeting concluded with commitments to advance practical cooperation in artificial intelligence, communications technology, critical minerals, maritime security and cybercrime, alongside stronger commercial engagement through the new business leaders' forum.