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In a first for the four-nation Quad grouping, energy ministers of India, Japan, Australia and the United States will meet on the sidelines of the G20 energy ministerial in Houston in the third week of September, HT has learnt. The meeting will mark the inaugural gathering of the Quad’s Fuel Security Forum as the four nations attempt to shore up their energy security amid disruptions caused by the present conflict in West Asia. Union power minister Manohar Lal Khattar is expected to represent India at the meet.

G20 leaders in South Africa emphasized multilateralism amid a shifting global order, despite the absence of US representatives. (via REUTERS)People aware of the matter told HT that the focus of the meeting will be on joint cooperation in strategic petroleum reserves, with Washington interested in the possibility of leasing space in its Strategic Petroleum Reserve to India and Japan. The meeting may also focus on providing technical support to Quad countries to enhance their own domestic reserves.

The Quad announced plans to convene the Fuel Security Forum in May this year, after the foreign ministers met in New Delhi. It will likely be the first time Quad ministers will meet in a structured format outside of the foreign ministers dialogue.

The Quad nations had agreed to support each other’s energy needs as well as those of Indo-Pacific nations during “restricted global energy markets”.

The disruption caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz— a major artery of global energy— in the aftermath of the US-Iran war formed a key part of the deliberations when the FMs met in May this year.

The Quad will also support the energy needs of regional nations, building on India’s energy diplomacy in South Asia as well as Japan and Australia’s efforts in Southeast Asia.