Modi, Abe meet in Russia; discuss Indo-Pacific region

Vladivostok, September 5

India and Japan agreed to further deepen cooperation in the strategic Indo-Pacific region where China has been flexing its military muscle, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held in-depth talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe here on Thursday.

The two leaders in their second meeting after the G20 Summit in Osaka in June pledged to deepen collaboration in a number of areas, including in trade, cultural and defence sectors.

Modi, who arrived in Russia on a two-day visit, is the first Indian PM to visit to the Russian Far East Region.

“Delighted to meet PM Shinzo Abe in Vladivostok. We had in-depth discussions on a wide range of subjects, particularly bettering trade and cultural relations between our nations. Our countries are also working together on various global forums to create a better planet,” Modi said in a tweet.

The meeting between Modi and Abe comes after they met at the G-20 Summit in Osaka in Japan and on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Biarritz in France.

“A global partnership reinforced by robust bilateral ties. PM Narendra Modi met with PM Shinzo Abe on the margins of 5th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok. Discussed deepening multi-faceted ties in economic, defence and security, start-up and 5G areas and exchanged views on regional situation,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet.

Briefing the media about the Prime Minister’s meeting, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said the two leaders had a discussion on the Indo-Pacific region, an issue on which India and Japan shared similar views.

“Prime Minister Abe spoke of a free and open Indo-Pacific and the importance of a bilateral cooperation in that regard, both on economic side and in terms of people-to-people relations to build a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” he said.

India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China’s rising military maneuvering in the region. PTI