Thank you Minster. First of all, a very good evening and thank you for the warm hospitality which is extended to me and my delegation.
Let me begin by offering, once again, deepest condolences for the loss of life and destruction in the Noto Peninsula earthquake.
We see Japan as a natural partner in India’s journey of development and transformation, and in our quest for peace, prosperity, and stability in a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Excellency,
The year 2023 was a landmark in our bilateral relationship. We have seen G2G, B2B, and people-to-people exchanges across diverse sectors. Most notably, Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Kishida have met thrice – in Delhi in March, and later at the G7 in Hiroshima and the G20 in New Delhi.
2024 is another milestone year for our relationship, as we mark 10 years of our Special Strategic and Global Partnership. We should explore new ways to give new momentum to our partnership by adding new areas and deepening existing cooperation. I take the opportunity to also appreciate Japan’s cooperation for a successful G20 presidency that we had last year.
Where this year is concerned, as you have noted, is again a milestone year because it is the 10th year of the Special Strategic and Global Partnership. So it is important that we have new ways to give new momentum to our partnership and find ways of deepening understanding and cooperation. I look forward to having in depth discussions with you, during our talks today, and to review the progress as well as in charting out further steps for our bilateral relationship.
Once again very sincere thank you for hosting us here today.