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Mike Pompeo, Jaishankar meet in Tokyo, review bilateral ties and plans to tackle Covid-19
During their meeting on the margins of the consultations of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad, Pompeo and Jaishankar discussed ongoing bilateral and multilateral cooperation on topics of international concern, said US state department spokesperson Cale Brown.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar and his US counterpart Mike Pompeo reviewed bilateral relations, including efforts to counter the Covid-19 pandemic, and planning for the upcoming 2+2 ministerial dialogue during their meeting in Tokyo.
This was the first face-to-face meeting between Jaishankar and Pompeo since the Covid-19 outbreak snapped foreign travel by world leaders, though they have spoken on several occasions and participated in virtual multilateral meetings in the past few months.
During their meeting on the margins of the consultations of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad, Pompeo and Jaishankar discussed ongoing bilateral and multilateral cooperation on topics of international concern, said US state department spokesperson Cale Brown.
“They reaffirmed the strength of the US-India relationship, reviewed our efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, and asserted the need to work together to advance peace, prosperity and security in the Indo-Pacific and around the globe,” Brown said.
Jaishankar and Pompeo also agreed to continue close cooperation on a range of regional and international issues and looked forward to the 2+2 dialogue of the foreign and defence ministers of the two sides later this year, he added.
“Began my Tokyo visit with a bilateral meeting with @SecPompeo. Pleased to see the progress of our partnership in so many fields. Will work together for stability and prosperity in the Indo- Pacific,” Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting.
Jaishankar is also set to hold bilateral meetings with his Australian counterpart Marise Payne and his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi.
Pompeo, Payne and Jaishankar also met Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga before the Quad consultations.
Suga outlined the challenges facing the world community following the Covid-19 outbreak and said it was “all the more necessary to further deepen ties with many more countries which share the vision of a ‘free and open Indo-Pacific’ and build concrete cooperation with them, according to Japan’s foreign ministry.
The visiting foreign ministers agreed on the importance of “reinforcing a rules-based, free and open international order through cooperation among Japan, Australia, India and the US”. They also confirmed further collaboration among the four countries for the peace and stability of the region.
