Quad FMs Meet: Jaishankar, Japanese counterpart Kamikawa discuss ways to strengthen political, trade ties

Tokyo [Japan], July 29 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed his gratitude to Japan’s Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko on Monday after participating in the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting and said that the two leaders discussed ways to improve political and trade relations.

Sharing a post on X, Jaishankar said, “Good to meet FM @Kamikawa_Yoko once again. Thank her for the Quad FMM arrangements. Took stock of our bilateral agenda and spoke about ways to continue strengthening our political, trade and people-to-people connect.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan also shared a post on their X and asserted that India and Japan agreed to boost bilateral cooperation. “On July 29th, Kamikawa Yoko held a meeting with External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who was visiting Japan to attend the QUAD Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and the two leaders agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation,” the post on X said.

The two ministers shared the view that they would strengthen bilateral cooperation, including the steady progress of the high-speed rail project, a flagship project between Japan and India, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan said in a press release.

Jaishankar and Yoko also welcomed the expansion of recruitment for Indian nationals under the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme and the start of the dispatch of Japanese Language Partners to India and exchanged views on cooperation regarding the Security Council reform, with a view to the Future Summit in September 2024, the release added.

Jaishankar, along with Foreign Ministers of Japan Yoko Kamikawa, Australia’s Penny Wong, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, participated in the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting held on July 29 in Tokyo.

Earlier today, India, Australia, Japan and the US, in their joint statement said that the Quad countries reaffirmed their conviction that international law, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the maintenance of peace, safety, security and stability in the maritime domain underpin the development and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific.

Quad is a diplomatic partnership between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, committed to supporting an open, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient.