Japanese PM Kishida in India for talks with PM Modi

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met Indian Prime Minisiter Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House in New Delhi and held bilateral talks.

PM Modi thanked the visiting Minister Kishida for inviting him for the G7 Summit in Japan later this year during their bilateral meeting held on March 20.

"Today Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida invited me to the G7 Leaders' Summit which will be held in Hiroshima in May. I thank him for this," PM Modi said at the joint press statement after the meeting.

"I welcome Japanese PM Fumio Kishida to India. In the last one year, PM Fumio Kishida and I have met several times and every time I've felt his positivity and commitment to the India-Japan bilateral relationship. His today's visit will be beneficial to maintain this momentum," PM Modi said.

PM Kishida on March 20 said that he will announce his new plan on Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) on the soil of India, which he said is an "indispensable partner" of his country.

"It gives me great pleasure to be able to unveil my new vision on the soil of India which is our indispensable partner in realising FOIP: Kishida said during a joint press statement after holding delegation level bilateral talks at Hyderabad House here. The visiting Japanese PM will also deliver the 41st Sapru House Lecture on the Indo-Pacific policy. Incidentally, the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe initially discussed the Indo-Pacific cooperation on his trip to Delhi fifteen years ago.

"I also intend to further strengthen the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan. In addition, during my stay in India, I will announce a new plan related to the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)," Kishida said in a tweet before departing for India.