Japan, India reaffirm importance of cooperation with ASEAN, Southwest Asian countries

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said that Tokyo attaches importance to its strategic relations with New Delhi and he intends to continue working with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to further elevate the Japan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership. According to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Motegi held a bilateral meeting with Jaishankar for over an hour where the leaders exchanged views on politics, security and economic cooperation.

The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of implementing Japan-India cooperation in third countries such as ASEAN and Southwest Asian countries and making steady progress on the high-speed rail project. During the meeting, Motegi expressed hope that the 50 billion yen emergency assistance loan and a one billion yen grant aid for the provision of medical equipment for India’s COVID-19 response would contribute to developing the health and medical systems.

After the 13th Japan-India Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue, Jaishankar took to Twitter to inform that both leaders discussed the cooperation in several fields, including manufacturing, infrastructure and health. The minister said that they explored the opportunities of further expansion of collaboration with special focus on development and projects. They also reviewed the current global situation and developments pertaining to UN reform, he added.

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Quad ministerial meeting

On October 6, Jaishankar participated in the second India-Australia-Japan-USA Ministerial Meeting as the leaders followed up on their discussions on the post-COVID international order. They called for a coordinated response to the challenges including financial problems emanating from the pandemic, said the ministry of external affairs in a statement.

In his opening remarks, the Union minister told the meeting that the coronavirus pandemic has brought about a profound transformation globally, emphasising the importance of like-minded countries coordinating responses to the various challenges. He said that the objective of the Quad group is to advance the security and the economic interests of all countries having legitimate and vital interests in the region.

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(Image: Twitter / @DrSJaishankar)