Key defence pact inked in last Modi-Abe meet
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday had a 30-minute conversation with Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe, where the two sides welcomed the signing of a key defence pact. This will be Abe’s last summit meeting with India before he steps down. Late last month, Abe had announced that he would step down as a chronic illness has resurfaced. Abe, 65, was due to be in office till September 2021. He will stay on until his party chooses a successor, and will remain an MP. The conversation took place between the two leaders at about 11.10 am IST on Thursday. About the conversation, a Japanese Foreign Ministry statement said that at the outset, Prime Minister Abe explained that he would resign from his position as Prime Minister and expressed his gratitude for the friendship and the relationship of trust built with Prime Minister Modi. “Prime Minister Abe also noted the memories from their mutual annual visits. Prime Minister Modi responded by expressing his appreciation to all the efforts extended by Prime Minister Abe and by recalling the time they spent together,” the Japanese Foreign Ministry statement said on Thursday. With regard to the significant enhancement of Japan-India relations in recent years, the statement said Abe stated that both Prime Ministers took actions towards realising the vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific and the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between Japan and India was elevated to greater heights. Read the full article
