Inaugural meeting of 2+2 dialogue between India, Japan on Nov 30; Rajnath, Jaishankar to lead delegation

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will lead an Indian delegation to the inaugural meeting of the India-Japan Foreign and Defence Ministerial Dialogue (2+2), slated to be held in New Delhi on Saturday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.

The meeting is being held in pursuance of the decision taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe during the 13th India-Japan Annual Summit held in Japan in October 2018 with an aim to institute a Foreign and Defence Ministerial Dialogue for further deepening bilateral security and defence cooperation.

The Japanese delegation attending the meeting will be lead by country's Foreign Affairs Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defence Minister Taro Kono, the MEA said in a statement.

The 2+2 meeting would provide an opportunity for the two sides to review the status of and exchange further views on strengthening defence and security cooperation between India and Japan so as to provide greater depth to the 'India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership'.

The two sides will also exchange views on the situation in the Indo-Pacific region and their respective efforts under India's 'Act East Policy' and Japan's 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific Vision' for achieving their shared objective of peace, prosperity and progress to realize a better future for the people of the two countries and the region.