PM Modi invites Shinzo Abe, his wife to visit India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday invited his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe and his wife Akie Abe to visit India at their leisure, sources said.

Prime Minister Modi extended the invitation during a telephonic conversation with Abe earlier today.

"PM Modi invited PM Abe and his wife to visit India at their leisure," a source said.

During the weekly briefing, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that the two leaders exchanged greetings and recalled their earlier memories of their meetings at Varanasi, Sabarmati, Kobe and Kyoto.

An MEA statement said the two leaders reviewed the status of ongoing cooperation, including the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project, under the framework of the India-Japan special strategic and global partnership.

They expressed confidence that the strong momentum attained by the India-Japan partnership in the last few years will continue "unabated" in the future.

They also agreed that the strong and enduring partnership between the two countries will play a critical role in charting the course for the global community in the post-COVID world.

The statement regarding the talks between the two leaders came hours after Indian Defence Ministry announced that New Delhi and Tokyo have signed an agreement concerning the reciprocal provision of supplies and services between the armed forces of India and Self-Defense Forces of Japan.

The two leaders welcomed the signing of the agreement. "They concurred that the agreement will further enhance the depth of defence cooperation between the two countries and contribute to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region," the statement said.

The two leaders agreed that the strong and enduring partnership between the two countries will play a critical role in charting the course for the global community in the post-COVID world.

( With inputs from ANI )