Jaishankar to visit South Korea, Japan, talks to focus on bilateral, global issues | Latest News India

New Delhi: External affairs minister S Jaishankar will travel to South Korea and Japan during March 4-5 for talks with his counterparts on bilateral, regional and global issues, including challenges in the Indo-Pacific.

The visit to South Korea and Japan, two of India’s major partners, will impart further momentum to bilateral exchanges and set the agenda for future cooperation, the external affairs ministry said in a statement.

Jaishankar will first travel to Seoul for a two-day visit during which he will co-chair the India-South Korea joint commission meeting with his counterpart Cho Tae-yul. He is expected to meet other dignitaries, heads of think tanks and the Indian community.

The India-South Korea special strategic partnership has expanded to diverse areas such as trade, investments, defence, education and technology. The joint commission meeting is expected to comprehensively review bilateral cooperation and explore avenues for further strengthening it, the statement said.

The meeting will also be an opportunity for the two sides to exchange views on regional and global issues.

In the second leg of the trip, Jaishankar will visit Japan from March 6. In Tokyo, he will attend the India-Japan foreign ministers strategic dialogue with his counterpart Yoko Kamikawa.

The two ministers are expected to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues and exchange views on cooperation for a free, open, inclusive and peaceful Indo-Pacific, the statement said.

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The India-Japan special strategic and global partnership has deepened in the last decade in areas such as defence, digital technologies, semiconductor supply chains, clean energy, high-speed rail, industrial competitiveness and connectivity, it added.

Jaishankar ‘s visit and meetings in Tokyo will provide strategic guidance to functional cooperation between the two sides in these areas. He is also expected to interact with business leaders, think tanks and academia.

Meanwhile, Jaishankar met his visiting Danish counterpart on the margins Lars Løkke Rasmussen of the Raisina Dialogue on Thursday and signed a bilateral mobility and migration partnership agreement. They decided to explore the possibilities of establishing a partnership for recruiting Indian healthcare professionals in Denmark.

They also discussed bilateral, regional and international issues and released a joint logo to mark 75 years of diplomatic ties between India Denmark.

The ministers assessed the outcomes under the bilateral Green Strategic Partnership and agreed to finalise a mid-term review of the initiative in 2024, to conclude an updated joint action plan for 2021-26 and hold the next round of the bilateral joint commission.

Jaishankar and Rasmussen also agreed to expand the bilateral partnership into new areas such as defence, security and new technology, and to work towards an enhanced strategic perspective for a Comprehensive Green Strategic Partnership.