Japan‘s Fumio Kishida on Saturday called his visit to Quad summit as something that couldn’t have better suited him as his “last foreign visit as prime minister.”
“During my tenure, I have consistently emphasised and underscored the efforts by the Quad. Following the last meeting, which was held in my hometown of Hiroshima, this meeting, I believe, could not have been better suited for my last foreign visit as the prime minister,” Kishida said.
Addressing the tense security situations around the world, Kishida said, “The security environment surrounding ourselves has been becoming increasingly severe, and a free and open international order-based on the rule of law is under threat.Under this backdrop, it is ever more important for us and the Quad, who share values such as freedom and democracy, to continue to demonstrate our firm commitment to our common vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific to the international community.”
He further called upon the regional countries to further the efforts of Quad to ensure “practical cooperation” which would benefit the countries.
“It is crucial to coordinate with the regional countries and to materialise our vision by concrete actions. I here, look forward to, a fruitful discussion today so that we may listen to other regional countries, including Asean, South Asia, and the Pacific Islands, and to further promote practical cooperation that would be a genuine benefit for the region,” he said.
Meanwhile, PM Modi held bilateral talks with Kishida where the two discussed several facets of the two countries’ engagement.
“During my tenure, I have consistently emphasised and underscored the efforts by the Quad. Following the last meeting, which was held in my hometown of Hiroshima, this meeting, I believe, could not have been better suited for my last foreign visit as the prime minister,” Kishida said.
Addressing the tense security situations around the world, Kishida said, “The security environment surrounding ourselves has been becoming increasingly severe, and a free and open international order-based on the rule of law is under threat.Under this backdrop, it is ever more important for us and the Quad, who share values such as freedom and democracy, to continue to demonstrate our firm commitment to our common vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific to the international community.”
He further called upon the regional countries to further the efforts of Quad to ensure “practical cooperation” which would benefit the countries.
“It is crucial to coordinate with the regional countries and to materialise our vision by concrete actions. I here, look forward to, a fruitful discussion today so that we may listen to other regional countries, including Asean, South Asia, and the Pacific Islands, and to further promote practical cooperation that would be a genuine benefit for the region,” he said.
Meanwhile, PM Modi held bilateral talks with Kishida where the two discussed several facets of the two countries’ engagement.
Source : Times of India
