New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today had a telephonic conversation with his Japanese counterpart Suga Yoshihide as the two leaders appreciated the support and facilitation provided to resident citizens in each other’s country during the COVID-19 pandemic, and agreed to continue such coordination, the Ministry of External Affairs said today.
“Prime Minister Modi also thanked Prime Minister Suga for providing assistance to India for combating the pandemic. He also expressed hope that he would be able to receive Prime Minister Suga in India at the earliest in the near future once the COVID-19 situation stabilizes,” the MEA said in a statement.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had cancelled his visit to India later this month along with the two-plus-two dialogue slated to be held in Tokyo this weekend due to the Covid surge.
During the latest phone call, Modi and Yoshihide Suga discussed the COVID-19 situation in the respective country and exchanged views on various regional and global challenges posed by the pandemic.
They highlighted the importance of close India-Japan cooperation to overcome these challenges, such as by working together to create resilient, diversified and trustworthy supply chains, ensuring reliable supply of critical materials and technologies, and developing new partnerships in manufacturing and skill development, MEA said.
In this context, the two leaders emphasized the need for early operationalization of the Specified Skilled workers (SSW) agreement in order to synergize their strengths and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. They also highlighted the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project as a shining example of their cooperation and welcomed the steady progress in its execution, as per the Ministry.
-ARK
