The Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, and the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. (Image via The National Interest)

Abe meets Indian PM Modi in Russia

On Thursday (5/9), Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, met his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, in Russia. This was the third time they have met each other. First, Modi and Abe met each other in Osaka, Japan, on G-20 Summit. The second time, they met each other on the sidelines of the G-7 Summit in Biarritz, France.

Abe departed to Russia on Thursday for a three-day state visit, meeting with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. The meeting between Putin and Abe is to discuss the peace treaty regarding the dispute over four islets known as the Northern Territory of Japan & Southern Kurils of Russia.

The four islets are located north of the Hokkaido region. Even better, Japan and Russia both agreed to hold joint economic activities on the four islets as a sign of peace, starting from Kunashiri and Etorofu islands in the upcoming October.

The other reason is to attend the 5th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok. The annual forum aims to gather investment for the Far East of Russia. Attending the forum, there are Modi and the President of Mongolia, Khaltmaa Battulga. Modi is going on a two-day visit to Russia. The Indian PM’s state visit marked the 20th Russia-India annual summit.

The meeting between Modi and Abe was to discuss Japan and India’s cooperation in several fields such as defense and economic fields. Among the topics, development of 5G network and exchange of insights regarding regional condition were also included, tweeted Indian External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson, Raveesh Kumar.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/pm-modi-meets-japanese-pm-shinzo-abe-in-russia-discusses-defence-regional-situation-1595656-2019-09-05