Close alignment on India’s MAHASAGAR, Japan’s FOIP more important than ever before: Rajnath Singh

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that a close alignment between India’s MAHASAGAR vision and Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) initiative is “more important now than ever before” and emphasised the deep strategic interlinkages between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

India’s MAHASAGAR vision stands for ‘Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions’.

In his opening remarks during a meeting with Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in New Delhi, Rajnath Singh said, “Our maritime lifelines are facing growing vulnerabilities. Our efforts to ensure freedom of navigation, overflight and unimpeded lawful commerce are not just an economic necessity but a strategic imperative. The security of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean is deeply interlinked.”

“Therefore, a close alignment between India’s MAHASAGAR vision, which stands for Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions, and Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific initiative is more important now than ever before,” he added.

Rajnath Singh welcomed Japanese Defence Minister Koizumi and his delegation to India. The foreign delegation arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday, when they held several engagements with the Western Naval Command.

Expressing India’s solidarity with Japan in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in the Kumamoto region, the Defence Minister said, “Let me express my deepest sympathies and solidarity of the Government and people of India following the devastating earthquake in the Kumamoto region. We are saddened by the loss of life and hardships faced by the affected people. Yet, we remain deeply inspired by the remarkable resilience, swift emergency response and preparedness of Japan.”

Reaffirming India’s readiness to extend assistance to Japan during the difficult period, Rajnath Singh said, “Let me also reassure and reaffirm India’s absolute commitment to providing any assistance, relief or support required during this difficult time. Our relationship is rooted in shared democratic values, mutual respect and a long-standing civilisational connect. We will be celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations next year.”

Over the years, the Defence Minister said, India-Japan friendship has grown into a “cornerstone of stability, resilience and a rules-based order, not only for our two nations but also for the wider Indo-Pacific region, as two leading democracies in Asia, India and Japan share a profound responsibility to ensure peace, stability and prosperity”.

Following the meeting with the Japanese Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh took to X and described the talks as productive, saying the discussions covered areas of defence and security cooperation between the two countries.

“A milestone for Indo-Pacific stability! Had a very productive meeting with Japan’s Minister of Defence, Shinjiro Koizumi, in New Delhi. Our discussions focused on deepening maritime security, ‘Make in India’ defence technology, and expanding strategic trust,” Singh stated.

IANS