Cebu (Philippines), Oct 28 (IANS) India and Japan on Wednesday reviewed defence cooperation and explored new avenues to further strengthen the Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership during a meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Japanese counterpart Koizumi Shinjiro on the sidelines of the 13th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in the Philippines.
Singh noted that India and Japan’s shared commitment remains vital for a free, open and peaceful Indo-Pacific region.
“Happy to meet with the Minister of Defence of Japan, Mr. Koizumi Shinjiro, on the sidelines of the 13th ADMM-Plus in Cebu, Philippines. Had productive discussions on reviewing our ongoing bilateral defence cooperation and exploring new avenues to further strengthen the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Our shared commitment remains vital for a free, open, and peaceful Indo-Pacific region,” Rajnath Singh wrote on X after the meeting.
The Indian Defence Minister is currently on an official visit to the Philippines to attend the 13th ADMM-Plus on October 28-29 and hold several bilateral meetings on its sidelines.
It was the second meeting between Rajnath Singh and Koizumi Shinjiro in recent months.
In August, Koizumi was on an official visit to India, during which he held talks with Rajnath Singh. The two ministers had welcomed the steady strengthening of defence cooperation, including cooperation among the respective Ministries and the Services of the two countries that share strategic perspectives, under the ‘Japan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership’, which constitutes one of the pillars for peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
The two Ministers concurred on the importance of sharing assessments of the regional and international security environment between the two countries at a time of heightened global tensions. They expressed their strong opposition to any unilateral actions that impede freedom and safety of navigation and overflight, as well as to any attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion, according to the India-Japan joint press statement.
Following the meeting, Shinjiro Koizumi said that he will devote all his efforts to turning discussions into concrete outcomes.
“When the meeting concluded, Minister of Defence Singh put his arm around me and expressed his delight, saying, ‘It was a very fruitful meeting.’ We were able to make a new start in accelerating Japan-India defence cooperation. Moving forward, I will devote all my efforts to turning today’s discussions into concrete outcomes in order to further strengthen our personal trust relationship. Minister of Defence Singh, thank you very much,” noted Shinjiro Koizumi.
–IANS
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