Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden on Tuesday, 24 May, held bilateral talks in Tokyo, on the sidelines of the Quad Summit, with the former telling the US leader that both countries share similar views on the Indo-Pacific.
The two leaders held talks on bilateral, regional, and global issues, and also discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, technology, defence, people to people ties between the two countries, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
"We took part together in a positive and useful Quad Summit today. India and US partnership in the true sense is a partnership of trust. Our common interests and values have strengthened this bond of trust between our two countries," PM Modi said during Tuesday's bilateral meeting, according to news agency ANI.
"Our people-to-people relations and strong economic cooperation make our partnership unique," he further said, according to PTI.
"There is so much that we can and will do together," PM Modi told President Biden.
Modi also noted that the India and US' trade and investment relations are steadily on rise but they are still well below potential.
"With the conclusion of India-US investment incentive agreement, we will see concrete progress in bilateral investment," he said, adding that India and US are also increasing bilateral cooperation in domain of technology. He also pointed that the two countries cooperate closely even on global issues.
"I am confident that the India-US friendship will continue to be a force for good for global peace and stability," the prime minister added, according to PTI.
Committed to Making US-India Partnership Among the Closest: President Biden
Meanwhile, President Biden told PM Modi, "Mr Prime Minister, there is so much that our countries can and will do together. I am committed to make US-India partnership among the closest we have on earth."
Biden further said that he was pleased that India and US have reached an agreement for US Development Finance Corporation to continue the important work in India, supporting vaccine production, clean energy initiatives.
"I am glad we’re renewing India-US vaccine programme," Biden told PM Modi, according to news agency PTI.
He also said that they had discussed ongoing effects of Russia's "brutal and non-justified invasion of Ukraine" and the effect it has on the entire global world order.
"The US and India is going to continue to consulting closely on how to mitigate these negative effects," Biden said.
PM Modi had landed in Japan's capital city in the wee hours of Monday, and met Japanese business leaders a day ahead of the Quad Summit.
At Quad Summit, PM Modi Speaks About 'Free, Open, Inclusive Indo-Pacific Region'
Prime Minister Modi, earlier on Tuesday, participated in the Quad Leaders' Summit in Tokyo along with Biden, Australian PM Anthony Albanese, and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida.
In his opening remarks at the summit, PM Modi said that Quad had made an important place for itself before the world in a short span of time. "Today, Quad's scope has become extensive, its form effective. Our mutual trust, and our determination is giving new energy and enthusiasm to democratic powers," he said.
Meanwhile, US President Biden addressed the summit, lambasting Russian President Putin for the war, which he said was his attempt to extinguish a culture.
Australian PM Albanese said that the Australian government was committed to working with the Quad countries. He further said that as the Indo-Pacific had reshaped, the Quad partnership was needed now more than ever. "The region is looking to us to lead by example," he said.
On climate change, Albanese said that Australia would act in recognition that climate change was the main economic and security challenge for the island nations in the Pacific.
Also speaking at the summit, the Japanese PM urged all state heads to "listen carefully to voices of the countries in the ASEAN, South Asia as well as the Pacific Island countries, so as to further advance cooperation, conducive to solving urgent issues facing the vision."
Jaishankar Meets US State Secy Blinken in Tokyo, Talks Ukraine
Meanwhile, Union Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar on Tuesday met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Japan, where PM Modi attended the Quad Leaders' Summit earlier during the day.
"Continued our conversation on the Ukraine conflict, its knock-on effects and important regional issues. Will work togther to take forward the Quad understandings (sic)," Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI.)
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