2+2 Ministerial Dialogue: India, Japan to explore ties for maintenance of Japanese warships at Indian docks

India and Japan held their third 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Delhi on August 20, discussing various issues including potential cooperation on maintaining Japanese ships at Indian docks. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and their Japanese counterparts, Kihara Minoru and Kamikawa Yoko, emphasized their shared strategic vision for a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific as part of a rules-based international order.  

New Delhi: India and Japan on Tuesday (Aug 20) held their third 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Delhi, wherein the two sides discussed a range of issues which also included exploring future cooperation for maintenance of Japanese ships at Indian docks. 

The defence minister, Rajnath Singh, external affairs minister S Jaishankar and their counterparts from Japan Kihara Minoru and Kamikawa Yoko participated in the dialogue and highlighted their common strategic vision towards a free and open Indo-Pacific, that is inclusive, peaceful, prosperous and resilient, as part of the rules-based international order. 

So far, the warships from the US Navy and the British Royal Navy have been docked at Indian dockyards for repair and maintenance purposes. 

In an indirect reference to China, which has been trying to alter the boundary with several countries in the region, in the meeting, the ministers emphasized the need for all countries to refrain from any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo.

They reaffirmed “respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and peaceful settlement of disputes without resorting to the threat or use of force.”

In the meeting, they concurred on exploring discussions for coordination and cooperation in the field of defence and security assistance to third countries for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. 

The two sides also looked forward to having dialogues in areas such as space, maritime affairs and Africa, a joint statement read.

They unequivocally condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, and called for bringing the perpetrators of 26/11 Mumbai, Pathankot, and other attacks to justice. 

“They called for concerted actions against all UN-listed terrorist groups including Al Qaeda, ISIS/Daesh, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and their proxy groups, and to take resolute actions to root out terrorists’ safe havens, eliminate terrorist financing channels, and halt cross-border movement of terrorists.”