New Delhi (NVI): Aiming at giving further impetus to strategic defence ties of New Delhi and Tokyo ahead of Japanese premier’s visit, Secretary General of National Security Secretariat (NSS) of Japan Shigeru Kitamura met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi here.
In the meeting here today, Prime Minister Modi welcomed Kitamura on his first visit to India after assuming charge in September, 2019 and stressed the importance of the growing strategic partnership between the two countries for peace, progress and security in the region.
He expressed the confidence that the discussions of Kitamura with the National Security Advisor of India would pave the way to strengthen this vital aspect of bilateral cooperation.
The Prime Minister recalled his warm friendship with Prime Minister Abe and conveyed that he looked forward to welcoming him in India for India-Japan Annual Summit next month.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Kitamaru on Monday and discuss foreign policy and bilateral ties.
“A pleasure to receive Japanese NSA Shigeru Kitamura on his first visit to India as the National Security Advisor. Good discussions on our foreign policy cooperation,” Jaishankar tweeted.
Japan is one of India’s increasingly important strategic partners. India’s ties with Japan have grown tremendously in the last decade. Concerns about the strategic consequences of a rising China in the Indo-Pacific is providing greater momentum to the India-Japan partnership.
India and Japan have grown particularly close since the Modi government took office in 2014. The personal chemistry between Abe and Modi has had a positive impact. Earlier this year, the two countries agreed to hold a two-plus-two ministerial dialogue with the ministers of defence and foreign affairs of the two countries.
One area that requires immediate attention is strategic infrastructure, an area in which China has performed very well through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Giving fillip to this agenda, India and Japan announced the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC) at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the African Development Bank (AfDB) summit in India in May 2017. The concept took off from the joint declaration issued by Modi and Abe in November 2016.
-nad
