By IANS
Singapore : India and Japan agreed Wednesday to increase their cooperation over reforms in the United Nations, where both are seeking permanent seats in the Security Council.
Indian officials announced this after the first meeting between prime ministers Manmohan Singh of India and Yasuo Fukuda of Japan here on the sidelines of the third East Asian Summit.
Their meeting was marked by “warmth and friendship”, officials said, adding that they agreed to strengthen their cooperation in regional and multilateral forums on key issues such as UN Security Council reforms and climate change.
India, Japan, Germany and Brazil are keen to find a permanent place in the UN Security Council. But their efforts have markedly slackened in recent months with the US showing no signs of supporting India’s case.
The two prime ministers also discussed ways to deepen their commitment to the strategic and global partnership that has been established between India and Japan.
They agreed on the importance of maintaining regular high level exchanges and the need to expedite progress on projects such as a dedicated freight corridor and the Delhi-Mumbai international corridor.
Fukuda invited Manmohan Singh to visit Japan, and officials said the Indian leader accepted the invitation “with pleasure”.