India And Japan 2+2 Meet

India And Japan 2+2 Meet:

India and Japan recently held their third 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting in New Delhi.

• The discussions, which took place against the backdrop of growing geopolitical tensions and China’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region, focused on deepening bilateral cooperation across various sectors.

Key Highlights of the India and Japan 2+2 Meet:

• Both countries emphasised their commitment to a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific.
• The strategic alignment is driven by China’s growing military presence in the region.
• The ministers supported Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)’s unity and centrality, endorsing the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).
• The AOIP emphasises ASEAN’s central role in fostering cooperation, stability, and peace across the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions.
• It also reflects ASEAN’s commitment to promoting a rules-based regional order founded on the principles of the United Nations Charter.
• They reaffirmed their commitment to advancing cooperation within the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD), following the discussions at the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in July 2024.
• Japan and India expressed intentions to collaborate in security assistance to third countries for regional peace and stability.
• The ministers recognized defence cooperation as a pillar of their Special Strategic and Global Partnership.
• Japan’s National Security Strategy, issued in 2022, further bolstered the bilateral defence relationship.
• Progress made in multilateral exercises such as Veer Guardian (2023), Dharma Guardian (Military), JIMEX (naval), SHINYUU Maitri (air force) and Malabar (along with Australia and the US) were emphasised.
• They appreciated advancements in unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and robotics cooperation.
• Both countries agreed to revise and update the 2008 Joint Declaration to address contemporary security challenges. This update will reflect current priorities and align with the evolving global security landscape.
• Both sides condemned terrorism and violent extremism, with particular emphasis on cross-border terrorism.
• They called for bringing perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and other incidents to justice.
• Efforts to eliminate terrorist safe havens, cut off financing channels, and halt the movement of terrorists were supported, with specific mention of groups such as Al Qaeda, ISIS/Daesh, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).