Bangkok: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe here on Monday on the sideline of ASEAN-related summits and conveyed that he eagerly looked forward to welcoming him in India next month for the annual summit meeting.
Modi said he was convinced of the success of the forthcoming annual Summit which will further deepen the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership.
The leaders welcomed the increasing economic engagement between the two countries, propelled by high-level exchanges. They also reviewed the progress on Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project and reaffirmed their commitment to advance mutual efforts to facilitate the smooth implementation of the project.
Modi and Abe welcomed the inaugural of the 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Dialogue that will take place later this month in India. They agreed that the Dialogue will help provide impetus to the bilateral security and defence cooperation between the two sides.
The two Prime Ministers also reaffirmed their commitment towards a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region based on a rules-based order.
They agreed to further strengthen the bilateral cooperation, including in third countries, for achieving the shared objective of peace, prosperity and progress of the Indo-Pacific region.
Modi congratulated Abe on the recent coronation of the new Emperor of Japan, according to a Ministry of External Affairs statement.
(IANS)
Prasanta Patnaik