The quote currency (counter currency) is the second currency in both direct and indirect currency pairs and is used to evaluate the base currency.
Currency quotes show how many units of the quoted currency they will need to exchange for one unit of the first (base) currency.
In a direct quote, the quote currency is a foreign currency, and in an indirect quote, the quote currency is the national currency.
When someone buys (opens a long position) a currency pair, he sells the counter currency; if they sell the currency pair, they will buy the counter currency.