India, Japan To Deepen Ties At '2+2' Ministerial Dialogue In Delhi; Rajnath Singh, S Jaishankar To Lead Talks

India and Japan's foreign and defense ministers will hold a "2+2" ministerial dialogue to strengthen their strategic partnership. The dialogue will focus on defense cooperation, regional and global issues.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar are set to host their Japanese counterparts for the 3rd India-Japan '2+2' Ministerial Dialogue in New Delhi on Tuesday, August 20, 2024. The Japanese delegation will include Minister of Defence Kihara Minoru and Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoko Kamikawa. In addition to the main dialogue, a bilateral meeting between Rajnath Singh and Kihara Minoru will take place on the sidelines. These discussions aim to deepen the defence cooperation and further the Special Strategic and Global Partnership shared by India and Japan, a statement informed.

Both Minoru and Kamikawa arrived in the national capital on Monday ahead of the ministerial talks.

The forthcoming dialogue will provide a platform for the Ministers to review existing bilateral cooperation and explore new initiatives to strengthen engagements between the two nations. "During the bilateral talks and 2+2 meeting, the Ministers will review the bilateral cooperation and explore new initiatives to further strengthen the engagements between the two countries. They will also exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest," the statement informed.

Defence One Of The Most Important Pillars In India-Japan Relationship: Govt

The Ministry of Defence emphasised that "India and Japan share 'Special Strategic and Global Partnership' based on the shared values of democracy, freedom and rule of law. Defence has emerged as one of the most important pillars in this relationship. Strengthened India-Japan defence partnership is vital for ensuring a free, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific in the prevailing global environment."

This dialogue marks the third edition of the '2+2' Ministerial Dialogue, with the first held in India in 2019 and the second in Japan in 2022. The initiative is part of India's broader effort to enhance its security and defence ties with key global partners.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal highlighted the significance of the upcoming discussions, noting that they will cover various aspects of the multifaceted India-Japan partnership. He remarked, "The '2+2' dialogue with Japan was initiated to further deepen bilateral security and defence cooperation and bring greater depth to the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between the two countries."

India maintains the '2+2' ministerial dialogue format with only a select few nations, including the United States, Australia, and Russia.