PM Modi meets Japanese PM Shinzo Abe in Russia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe and the two leaders pledged to deepen the robust bilateral ties in a number of areas, including in economic and defence sectors.

Modi, who arrived in Russia on a two-day visit, is the first Indian prime minister to visit to the Russian Far East Region.

The meeting between prime minister Modi and Abe comes after they met at the G-20 Summit in Osaka in Japan and on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Biarritz in France.

"Continuous engagement for concrete bilateral ties. Prime Ministers Shinzo Abe and Narendra Modi meet in Vladivostok," the Prime Minister's Office said in a tweet.

"A global partnership reinforced by robust bilateral ties. PM Narendra Modi met with PM Shinzo Abe on the margins of 5th EEF in Vladivostok. Discussed deepening multi-faceted ties in economic, defense and security, start-up and 5G areas and exchanged views on regional situation," External Affairs  Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet.

Following his meeting with Abe, Modi will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir bin Mohamad and President of Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga.

Modi arrived in Russia on Wednesday to participate in the 20th India-Russia annual summit and the fifth meeting of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF). On his arrival, Modi received a guard of honour at Vladivostok International Airport.

The forum focuses on development of business and investment opportunities in the Russian Far East Region, and presents enormous potential for developing close and mutually beneficial cooperation between India and Russia in the region.