External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, held a telephone conversation on Tuesday and discussed maritime security in the Asia-Pacific region. This was the first consultation between the two since Mr. Jaishankar took charge on June 1.
“Foreign Minister Kono expressed his view that toward the realisation of a free and open Indo-Pacific, the role and responsibility of India as a global power is extremely huge. Foreign Minister Kono also stated that it is Prime Minister [Shinzo] Abe’s turn to visit India this year,” a release from the Embassy of Japan said.
The discussion on the freedom of navigation in the Asia-Pacific region is significant as it comes against the backdrop of the continued multilateral consultations, in which both India and Japan are participants. Both India and Japan are parties to the ‘Quad’ dialogue process that includes Australia and the U.S.
Mr. Abe visited India in 2017 when Mr. Jaishankar was the Foreign Secretary.
The Japanese Minister also asked for a “2+2” meeting involving the Foreign and Defence Ministers.
In response, to the phone call from the Japanese minister, Mr. Jaishankar expressed his desire to meet him at an early date.
