New York: United States Secretary of State John Kerry hosted the inaugural US-India-Japan Trilateral Ministerial dialogue with Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, on the sidelines of the 70th United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The ministers strained on the growing convergence of their respective countries' interests in the Indo-pacific region. They also highlighted the importance of international law and peaceful settlement of disputes; freedom of navigation and overflight; and unimpeded lawful commerce, including in the South China Sea. They reiterated their support for ASEAN centrality in the multilateral political and security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region and emphasized the importance of the East Asia Summit as the premier leaders - level forum for addressing key political and security issues of the region.
The countries agreed to work together to maintain maritime security through greater collaboration. The US and India welcomed Japan’s participation in the 2015 Malabar exercise. Recognizing their extensive disaster response capabilities and converging interests, the three sides agreed to convene an experts-level group on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to enhance ability to respond jointly to complex disasters.
In an effort to capitalise on collective capacities in promoting regional economic linkages, the ministers launched an experts-level group on regional connectivity to identify collaborative efforts that can help strengthen regional connectivity, including between South and Southeast Asia. They also expressed interest in exploring trilateral cooperation on women’s skill enhancement and economic empowerment to further social and economic development.
