Atlanta, Oct. 31 -- Quad Foreign Ministers on Saturday called for preserving navigational rights and freedoms in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait against the backdrop of tensions in West Asia.

At the Quad meeting in Atlanta, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Foreign Ministers from Japan and Australia, Toshimitsu Motegi and Penny Wong, respectively.

The Quad ministers emphasised maritime security and also expressed concerns over "economic coercion, including through arbitrary export restrictions."

In a joint statement released after the meeting, the Quad ministers "underscored the importance of economic security in maintaining global stability and prosperity. ...