India-Japan bilateral relationship has greatest potential: Abe

Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe at a meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Saturday. Mr. Abe said that the India-Japan bilateral relationship has the “greatest potential,” a view that was shared by Mr. Modi.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday said that the India-Japan bilateral relationship has the “greatest potential,” a view that was shared by his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

“The India-Japan relationship has the greatest potential of any bilateral relationship in the world,” Mr. Abe said as he met Mr. Modi over lunch on the sidelines of the 13th ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-India Summit.

Looking forward to Abe’s visit

Mr. Modi acknowledged the Japanese Prime Minister’s vision for the bilateral relationship, and said he looked forward to the visit of Mr. Abe to India, according to an official statement.

“The Prime Minister said that Japan was partnering India in a number of initiatives such as the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor, which had transformative potential,” the statement said.

Maritime security discussed

Regional connectivity, maritime security, the upcoming Conference of Parties (CoP)-21 climate summit in Paris, reform of the U.N. Security Council, and the issue of terrorism also came up for discussion in the talks between Mr. Modi and Mr. Abe. Mr. Modi arrived in Kuala Lumpur early on Saturday to attend the 13th ASEAN-India Summit.

He will also attend the 10th East Asia Summit on Sunday.