India and Japan have signed a key agreement for the reciprocal provision of supplies and services between their defense forces, which is expected to spur closer military cooperation and contribute to regional security.
The Acquisition and Cross Service Agreement (ACSA) between the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Indian Armed Forces was signed by Japanese Ambassador Satoshi Suzuki and Defense Secretary Ajay Kumar in New Delhi on Wednesday.
“The agreement establishes a framework such as liquidation procedures for the reciprocal provision of supplies and services between the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Indian armed forces,” said a statement from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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The agreement is expected to facilitate “the rapid and fluid provision of supplies and services” between the two sides, promote closer cooperation between the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Indian armed forces, and enable them to actively contribute to peace. and international security. statement said.
During a 30-minute phone conversation on Thursday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi welcomed the signing of the agreement and said it would promote closer cooperation between forces on the ground.
The pact was previously expected to be signed during a summit between Abe and Modi this year. However, Abe’s decision last month to resign for health reasons called into question whether to hold the summit.
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The agreement will cover the reciprocal provision of supplies and services during joint exercises and training missions, UN peacekeeping operations, humanitarian relief operations, operations to deal with disasters in the territory of both parties or in a third country. , and evacuation of nationals of India and Japan. from abroad in demands.
The supplies and services covered by the pact include food, water, transportation, including air transportation, oil, clothing, communications and medical services, use of facilities, spare parts and components, and repair and maintenance services.
The agreement will be valid for 10 years and will be automatically extended for periods of 10 years unless one of the parties decides to terminate.
India has similar agreements with the United States, Australia, France, Oman, and Singapore.
Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, listed the actions taken by India and Japan to realize the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific and the elevation of the special strategic and global partnership between the two countries between the two countries. key achievements in bilateral relations.
According to a reading by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two leaders made it clear that the leadership change in Japan would not affect the general arc of bilateral relations.
Both Prime Ministers affirmed that the basic policy of the Japan-India emphasis remains unchanged, and agreed with each other that the two countries continue to work closely together in areas such as security, economy and economic cooperation, including the high-speed rail project. , ”The reading said.
Abe and Modi established a good working relationship and helped advance bilateral ties in a number of areas, especially economic cooperation, maritime security and the Indo-Pacific.
Referring to the significant improvement of bilateral relations in recent years, Abe said that both prime ministers “took steps to realize the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific and the special strategic and global partnership between Japan and India was elevated to greater heights “.
Abe, explaining his decision to resign, expressed “gratitude for the friendship and trusting relationship” built with Modi and noted the memories of their mutual annual visits. Modi expressed appreciation for all of Abe’s efforts and recalled the time they spent together, according to the reading.
Modi also reiterated his appreciation for Abe’s leadership in promoting the India-Japan relationship.
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