Wilmington (Delaware) [US], September 22 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, on Saturday in Wilmington, Delaware.
"PM Narendra Modi met PM Fumio Kishida of Japan on the sidelines of Quad Summit in Delaware. They reviewed the various facets of the relationship, and exchanged views to deepen the cooperation further. PM thanked PM Kishida for his leadership in advancing the Special Strategic & Global Partnership over the years, and wished him success and happiness," the MEA said in a post on X.
The sixth edition of the Quad Leaders' Summit is a 'farewell' summit for both US President Joe Biden and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida before they step down from their respective offices.
Quad is a diplomatic partnership between four countries--Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. US President Joe Biden is the host of the fourth in-person and sixth overall Quad Leaders' Summit in Delaware.
As President Biden hosted a quadrilateral meeting on Saturday with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, he also announced a series of initiatives to deliver a real positive impact for the Indo-Pacific, including providing new maritime technologies to Quad partners.
Fumio Kishida said on Saturday that the Quad Leaders Summit taking place in Wilmington, Delaware "could not have been better suited" for his last foreign visit as the Prime Minister of Japan.
Kishida said that he consistently emphasised and underscored the efforts by the Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) during his tenure, as he recalled the last meeting, which was held in Japan's Hiroshima.
"It is a pleasure to get together with the leaders of the Quad at the Alma Mater of Joe to discuss the future of the Indo-Pacific...I express my gratitude to Joe's friendship for ourselves and for our leadership and hostility, which demonstrate your emphasis on the Quad," the Japanese PM in his opening remarks at the Quad Summit.
"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 added.
He underscored the need for concrete actions by the Quad grouping, adding that the security environment has been becoming increasingly severe.
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."
The Quad summit's focus lies on bolstering strategic convergence among the four countries, advancing a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.