New Delhi, June 20 (IANS) India and Japan on Tuesday discussed cooperation in the areas of maritime security and counter-terrorism among other issues during the fifth dialogue under the 2+2 mechanism that involves and foreign and defence policies of the two sides, a statement said.
“Both sides reviewed the entire gamut of India-Japan relations and discussed issues having overlapping foreign policy and security dimensions of India-Japan cooperation and consultations,” the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.
“Both sides reaffirmed their common desire to build on the strong foundations of bilateral cooperation and exchanges in order to forge a relationship of mutual benefit,” it said.
“In this context, both sides discussed measures to strengthen cooperation in fields such as counter-terrorism, maritime security, defence equipment and technology, peacekeeping operations, etc.”
India and Japan, along with the US and Australia, are part of a quad that was revived late last year that aims to work for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
India and Japan elevated their bilateral relationship to that of a Special and Strategic Global Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan in 2014 for the annual bilateral summit with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe and, according to the statement, Tuesday’s meeting was held in keeping with this.
“The discussions, which also centred on important issues covering regional and global dimensions, helped to further underscore the shared values and interests between India and Japan,” the statement added.
The 2+2 vice-ministerial dialogue was led by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra on the Indian side while the Japanese side was led by Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Takeo Mori and Vice-Minister of Defence for International Affairs Ro Manabe.