New Delhi: The second in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit in Japan will provide an opportunity for the leaders of four countries to review the progress of the grouping’s initiatives and exchange views on developments in the Indo-Pacific as well as on global issues of mutual interest, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.
Mr. Modi stated in his departure statement ahead of his visit to Japan from May 23-24 that he will also hold bilateral meetings with the US President Joe Biden and the Prime Ministers of Japan and Australia to discuss further consolidation of the multifaceted bilateral relations.
The Prime Minister, who left for Tokyo on Sunday evening for a two-day visit beginning today, will hold separate meetings in the afternoon with the chairman of NEC Corporation Nobuhiro Endo, chairman/president & CEO of UNIQLO Tadashi Yanai, the adviser of the Suzuki Motor Corporation Osamu Suzuki and the board director of Softbank Group Corp, Masayoshi Son.
In the evening today, he will attend the proposed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework event mooted by the United States and later hold a roundtable with Japanese business leaders. Finally, Mr Modi will hold an interaction with the members of the Indian community.
On the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra had earlier on Saturday said, “This is something which is under discussion and I think the discussions and the conversations are still going on,” even as New Delhi is widely expected to join the US-led initiative.
The foreign secretary had earlier said, “We do all realise that, insofar as the Indo-Pacific region is concerned, the economic segment of it is a very important segment, both in terms of harnessing the opportunities of economic partnership that are available in the region, whether they are in various dimensions of economic areas or they are related to capacity building. And I think one of the focuses of the Prime Minister’s conversations during the Quad Summit will be on the Indo-Pacific, which is essentially one of the main areas of Quad’s focus and also, within that space, the economic dimension of the cooperation.”
On Tuesday, the PM will attend the four-nation Quad Summit that will also be attended by the US President and the Japanese and Australian Prime Ministers.
In his departure statement on Sunday, the PM said, “The newly-elected Australian Prime Minister will be joining the Quad Leaders’ Summit for the first time. I look forward to a bilateral meeting with him during which the multifaceted cooperation between India and Australia under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and regional and global issues of mutual interest will be discussed.”
The PM added, “I will hold a bilateral meeting with President Joseph Biden, where we will discuss further consolidation of our multi-faceted bilateral relations with the USA. We will also continue our dialogue on regional developments and contemporary global issues.”
Ahead of the visit, Mr Modi on Sunday said, “I will be visiting Tokyo, Japan from May 23-24 at the invitation of His Excellency Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan… During my visit to Tokyo, I look forward to continuing our conversation further, with an aim to strengthen the India-Japan special strategic and global partnership. In Japan, I will also participate in the second in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit, which will provide an opportunity for the leaders of the four Quad countries to review the progress of Quad initiatives. We will also exchange views about developments in the Indo-Pacific region and global issues of mutual interest.”
He further said, “Economic cooperation between India and Japan is an important aspect of our special strategic and global partnership. During the March Summit, PM Kishida and I had announced our intention to realize JPY 5 trillion in public and private investment and financing over the next five years from Japan to India. During the forthcoming visit, I will meet with Japanese business leaders with the goal of further strengthening economic linkages between our countries, in pursuit of this objective.”
The PM said, “Japan is home to nearly 40,000 members of the Indian diaspora, who are an important anchor in our relations with Japan. I look forward to interacting with them.”
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