NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said India places a very high priority to its relationship with Japan, which has evolved over the past two decades into a broad, comprehensive and strategic partnership.
Co-chairing the 18th India-Japan Strategic Dialogue with visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi here, he underlined the importance of economic security, calling it ‘paramount’ and emphasising the need to de-risk both national and global economies amid an uncertain international economic environment.
The India-Japan relationship, he recalled, was primarily an economic partnership earlier. But it has evolved over the past two decades, the Indian minister said, referring to cooperation between the two nations in various international forums, including Quad, the United Nations, G4, and G20.
Talking about the shared Indo-Pacific vision, Jaishankar pointed out that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had, in an address to the Indian Parliament, laid the foundation for the Indo-Pacific as a political, economic, and strategic construct.
‘’Much much time has passed, but the relationship today sees that our initiative, what we call MAHASAGAR and visions for the Indo-Pacific align closely with your free and open Indo-Pacific,’’ he told his Japanese counterpart.
Jaishankar said, “We are leading democracies. We are the major economies of the world. And we have today not just an opportunity but also an obligation, a duty, to shape the global order. And in the current uncertain global situation, it’s even more important that we work closely towards shared strategic goals.”
He said, “Economic security today is particularly paramount. Both our countries attach enormous importance to it. And how to de-risk our own economies and how to de-risk the international economy are both very important. We will be discussing resilient supply chains, critical minerals, and how to address energy, health, and maritime security in our talks today,” he added.
Jaishankar also noted that India and Japan will mark 75 years of diplomatic relations next year, expressing confidence that the special, strategic, and global partnership will continue to strengthen.
“In our bilateral discussions, I hope to address key priorities in our ties,” he said.
Agencies