New Delhi (NVI): External affairs minister S Jaishankar will visit Japan during October 6-7 to participate in the second ministerial meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad and to hold a series of bilateral meetings against the backdrop of the border standoff with China.
Jaishankar is visiting Tokyo for bilateral consultations with his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi and the two ministers are expected to discuss bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest, a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs stated.
“During the visit, the external affairs minister will also participate in the second India-Australia-Japan-USA ministerial meeting on 6 October, 2020, in which the foreign ministers of the respective countries will participate,” the statement added.
The foreign ministers of the Quad, which was upgraded to the ministerial level in September last year, will also discuss the “post-Covid-19 international order and the need for a coordinated response to the various challenges emerging from the pandemic”, it added.
Furthermore, the ministers will hold discussions on regional issues and “collectively affirm the importance of maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific”.
Jaishankar will also hold bilateral consultations with Australian foreign minister Marise Payne and US secretary of state Mike Pompeo during the visit.
The Quad meet comes against the backdrop of China’s aggressive actions across the Indo-Pacific.
-CHK
