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Japan's Kishida great friend of India's, talks 'productive, extensive', says PM
In tweets after the Day 1 of the India-Japan Summit, PM Modi said that Kishida "has always been a great friend of India's".
India is aiming to reach an investment target of 5 trillion yen, or roughly 3.2 lakh crore, in the next five years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday on "extensive and productive" talks with Japan's Fumio Kishida. The two leaders met for the 14th edition of India-Japan Summit and discussed pressing global issues - including the Ukraine war - apart from key bilateral matters. Global cooperation, a joint statement underlined, "is required more than ever to address challenges that have become more acute".
In tweets after the Day 1 of the summit, PM Modi said that Kishida "has always been a great friend of India's". "The talks with PM @kishida230 were extensive and productive. He has always been a great friend of India’s. We took stock of the progress in our bilateral relations over the last few years. We also discussed various regional and global issues," the prime minister wrote.
"Economic ties between India and Japan are getting more robust. Japan is among the top investors in India. Based on the trend of the last few years, we are aiming to reach an investment target of 5 trillion Yen in the coming 5 years. This will bring great economic opportunities."
Climate change, clean energy, infrastructure development and cultural cooperation were among the matters discussed during the talks, PM Modi tweeted. He also shared these posts in Japanese and also some glimpses of the summit.
The meeting comes at a time when the world is on edge in the midst of Russia's onslaught on Ukraine that is set to complete a month. Calling for an "immediate end to the violence", the prime ministers "expressed serious concern about the ongoing conflict" and "humanitarian crisis" in the war-hit country, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
India has been urged by the world to take a stand ramp up pressure against Russia, which has been a key strategic partner. New Delhi has, so far, has abstained from voting against Moscow at the United Nations.
Stressing on strengthening bilateral ties for a "free and open Indo-Pacific," "free from coercion", both the leaders also spoke about "the quadrilateral cooperation among Australia, India, Japan, and the United States". The next Quad Leaders' Summit is due in the coming months in Japan.
"The Prime Ministers reaffirmed their shared commitment to the total elimination of nuclear weapons and remained resolute in the task of strengthening international cooperation to address the challenges of nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism," stated the foreign ministry.
Also, border tensions with China came up during the talks. "Both the PMs discussed China; we informed Japan of the situation in Ladakh, the attempts of amassing the troops, and our talks with China on border-related issues... Japanese PM also briefed us on his own perspective vis-a-vis East and South China sea," foreign secretary Harsh Shringla said.
This was the first visit of the Japanese prime minister since he took charge last year. The two-day India-Japan summit comes as both the nations mark 70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations and India celebrates 75 years of independence.
