India Works to Boost ties with Indo-Pacific Countries

NEW DELHI: As foreign minister S Jaishankar returns from a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in Nagoya, Japan, India is intensifying its engagement with key countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

Jaishankar met his Australian counterpart Marise Payne, one of the numerous occasions India and Australia have met at high levels. Australian PM Scott Morrison will be in India in early January to deliver the keynote address at Raisina Dialogue. In December, foreign and defence secretaries of India and Australia will meet in their 2+2 meetings. In the post-RCEP situation, India is exploring new areas of work with Australia.
The Indo-Pacific focus was retained in his meeting with Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, French minister of state attached to the minister for Europe and foreign affairs.

On November 30, Jaishankar and defence minister Rajnath Singh will meet their Japanese counterparts, Toshimitsu Motegi and Taro Kono, for the first 2+2 ministerial meeting in New Delhi, where the two sides may sign an ACSA (Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement), which would, among other things, give both sides access to each other’s naval facilities, primarily in Djibouti and Andaman Islands.
On December 18, Jaishankar and Singh will meet US counterparts Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper for the next round of the 2+2 dialogue.

Source: ToI

Image Courtesy: ET