External Affairs Minister S.Jaishankar on Thursday called for collective efforts with Japan to address the "new challenges" posed by the Covid pandemic and ongoing conflicts, an apparent reference to China's aggressive moves around Taiwan.
Addressing the India-Japan 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue here, Jaishankar flagged the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing conflicts as serious developments and new challenges and underscored the need to address them.
“We have witnessed in recent times very serious developments, especially since our last meeting in 2019. The Covid pandemic and ongoing conflicts demand that we address these new challenges,” he said in the opening remarks and the meeting was also attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and their Japanese counterparts.
Jaishankar said energy security and food security have emerged as particularly pressing issues and as a responsible member of the international community, India has worked tirelessly, in extending humanitarian aid, medicines, vaccines, food grains and many other forms of assistance.
As we face these challenges, it is important we work collectively to find common solutions through the path of dialogue and diplomacy, the minister said.
Jaishankar said the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue demonstrated the commitment towards deepening bilateral security and defence cooperation and also signified the strength of the India-Japan special strategic and global partnership.
India-Japan partnership is a partnership of immense importance. It is rooted in our shared values of democracy, freedom, and respect for rule of law, he said, amidst China's aggressive actions around Taiwan, a self-ruled island claimed by Beijing, and in the Indo-Pacific region.
Jaishankar said the strategic aspects of the relationship have gained new meaning in recent years, reflected in the recent bilateral and plurilateral engagements of the two countries.
The recent meeting of our leaders reaffirmed the continuity and strength of our relationship, he said referring to the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
“In this overall context, our dialogue today holds special significance. I look forward to our discussion, which I am confident will lay the foundation for closer cooperation between India and Japan in the area of security and foreign affairs,” he said.
Jaishankar also expressed sincere condolences on the demise of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
