February 23, 2024
NEW DELHI – External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will pay bilateral visits to the Republic of Korea and Japan on 5-8 March.
He will be first on a two-day visit to Seoul from 5 March to co-chair the 10th India-Republic of Korea Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) with Korean Foreign Affairs Minister Cho Tae-yul. During the visit, he is expected to meet Korean dignitaries, heads of think-tanks and the Indian community.
The India–Republic of Korea Special Strategic Partnership has expanded to diverse areas of cooperation, which include trade, investments, defence, education, S&T and culture.
The JCM is expected to comprehensively review the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and explore avenues for further strengthening it. It will also provide an opportunity for the two sides to exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
EAM will then visit Japan from 6th March to 8th March for the 16th India-Japan Foreign Ministers Strategic Dialogue with the Foreign Minister of Japan Ms Yoko Kamikawa. The two Ministers are expected to discuss issues of bilateral, regional and global importance, and exchange views on cooperation for a free, open, inclusive, peaceful and prosperous Indo-pacific.
The India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership has further deepened in the last decade in areas such as defence and digital technologies, semiconductor supply chains, clean energy, high speed rail, industrial competitiveness and connectivity. The EAM’s visit and meetings in Tokyo will provide strategic guidance to functional cooperation in these areas.
The EAM will also participate in the first Raisina Roundtable@Tokyo. The Roundtable is a key step towards enhancing track-2 exchanges between India and Japan. He is expected to interact with business leaders, think tanks and academia, building upon strong cultural and people-to people ties.
The EAM’s visits to the Republic of Korea and Japan, two of India’s major partners, will impart further momentum to bilateral exchanges and set the agenda for future cooperation.