Foreign Ministers of India, the United States and Japan met on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly and highlighted the growing convergence of their respective interests in the Indo-Pacific region.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Japan Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida also decided to meet again in the new format, raising the ongoing official level engagement to a political one.
“They also underscored the importance of international law and peaceful settlement of disputes; freedom of navigation and over flight; and unimpeded lawful commerce, including in the South China Sea,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup told reporters in New York.
The three Ministers discussed maintaining maritime security through greater collaboration and appreciated Japan’s participation in the 2015 Malabar naval exercise. Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief also featured in the first trilateral ministerial meet.
To promote regional economic linkages, the three Ministers launched an expert-level group on regional connectivity to identify collaborative efforts, including between south and southeast Asia. “The three Ministers expressed interest in exploring trilateral cooperation on women's skill enhancement and economic empowerment to further social and economic development,” a statement issued by India said.
Mr. Swarup said the meeting should not be considered as a move against China but a reiteration of rule of law that must apply to all nations of the world.
BRICS meet calls for IMF, U.N. reforms
The regular meeting of BRICS Foreign Ministers on the sidelines of the UNGA called for expansion of the Security Council and reform of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Ministers felt these reforms were in the “interests and needs of the developing countries.”
BRICS Ministers called for a “comprehensive, balanced and equitable agreement with legal force,” at the Paris climate conference in December this year.
They noted that terrorist organisations in Iraq and Syria posed a direct threat not only to countries in West Asia but to the whole international community. “They reiterated their strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” said Mr Swarup.
