New Delhi, May 25 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Monday met Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi ahead of Tuesday’s Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi, highlighting that the special strategic and global partnership between both countries remains rooted in their joint vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

“Between India and Japan of course, we have a special strategic and global partnership and that signals that our ties have a larger implication, larger importance, larger impact and one example of that will be tomorrow when we meet in the Quad format to discuss how to advance free and open Indo-Pacific,” EAM Jaishankar said in his opening remarks during a meeting with the visiting Japanese Foreign Minister on Monday.

“Today, I look forward to discussing bilateral cooperation, to discussing global and regional issues and I think particularly in this current situation what is happening in West Asia or the Middle East is important because we are both energy importing nations. We are big trading nations. We have maritime interests. I would also like to discuss with you economic security issues because I think today that is very important, a concern for all major economies,” he added.

Extending a warm welcome to Toshimitsu Motegi, EAM Jaishankar recalled their previous meetings in France in March and in New Delhi earlier this year. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Japan’s Ambassador to India, Ono Keiichi and other officials were also present during the meeting.

In his opening remarks, Toshimitsu Motegi noted that world is facing most significant structural change in the post-war era due to shifts in the balance of power and escalating conflicts. He recalled EAM Jaishankar’s remarks during the Foreign Ministerial Strategic Dialogue in January.

“Now, the world is faced with the most significant structural change in the post-war era, driven by shifts in the balance of power and the intensification of conflict and confrontations. And as Jai, you rightly pointed out, the security environment has become increasingly severe. Against such backdrop, at the outset of the Foreign Ministerial Strategic Dialogue in January, Jai stated that Japan and India not only have opportunities, but also we have and we share an obligation and responsibility to shape the international order. That was really encouraging,” he said.

“Earlier this month, Prime Minister Takaichi and I delivered policy speeches on updating Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) in Vietnam and Kenya, respectively. The key points of the update was to help countries obtain resilience and capability to decide for themselves across all domains of economy, society, and security and we aim to advance cooperation tailored to each country’s needs so that the entire region can become more resilient and prosperous together. To that end, Japan and India indeed need to serve as the driving force of such initiative and I look forward to working closely with you also through the Quad framework,” he added.

During his stay in New Delhi, the Japanese Foreign Minister is also scheduled to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi with other ministers on Tuesday.

“Starting today, I will be traveling to Delhi, India, to attend the foreign ministers’ meeting of Japan, the United States, Australia, and India (QUAD). The QUAD is a framework through which the four countries, sharing fundamental values, collaborate to advance practical cooperation across a wide range of fields toward realizing a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)’. In fact, the first QUAD foreign ministers’ meeting was held in September 2019, and I attended that time as well in my capacity as Foreign Minister,” the Japanese FM stated before leaving Tokyo on Monday.

“Including phone talks, this will mark my fourth attendance, the first in about five years. At this foreign ministers’ meeting, amid structural changes in the international order, the four countries’ foreign ministers will engage in strategic and candid exchanges of views on the international situation to align our perspectives. We will reaffirm our commitment to realizing FOIP and use this as an opportunity to deepen discussions on specific areas of cooperation going forward, approaching the meeting with resolve,” he added.

–IANS

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