EAM’s opening remarks during meeting with Foreign Minister of Japan Takeshi Iwaya (July 01, 2025)

Let me begin by saying that it is a great pleasure to meet you again, and we met just a few months ago in Washington on the sidelines of the Quad, and even in the last few months, I think our relationship has made very good progress.

2. Last month, our Prime Ministers - Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Ishiba had an opportunity to interact on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada, and we are now preparing for our annual Summit in Japan, and we are very confident that we could add to the dynamism and the quality of our relationship.

3. Excellency, our Special, Strategic and Global Partnership, has deepened over the years. It is anchored in mutual trust and respect for each other, and a commitment towards a free and open Indo-Pacific and a rules-based order, and our bilateral relations have also grown at the same time, moving from strength to strength. I think we will today be reviewing it. There are some positive developments in our political, security and defense ties, in the growing economic, infrastructure and investment linkages, and in the engagements between Indian states and Japanese prefectures.

4. So, I look forward to very productive deliberations with you this morning on how to further advance our partnership, and once again, a very, very warm welcome.

Washington D.C.
July 01, 2025