"Bilateral meeting with Putin, Xi Jinping strengthened India's perspective": Ex-diplomat Veena Sikri on PM Modi's visit

New Delhi [India], September 2 (ANI): Former Indian diplomat Veena Sikri termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Japan and China as "very successful," stating that the meetings contributed to shaping a clearer outlook for enhanced cooperation.
Speaking with ANI, Sikri pointed out that PM Modi's bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping had strengthened India's perspective and plans for deeper engagement with Moscow and Beijing.
"I think that PM Modi's meeting with President Xi Jinping of China and President Putin of Russia and a number of others - these bilateral meetings have really strengthened India's perspective and India's views and India's plans for cooperating with these leaders," Veena Sikri said.
She also noted the condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack in the joint Tianjin Declaration, stating that it was a crucial aspect that the SCO Summit as a whole accepted and incorporated India's thoughts and views in its final document.

"Even in the meeting with President Xi Jinping, the question of cross border terrorism was taken up by PM Modi and of course in the SCO Summit itself, our PM gave a lot of focus on terrorism...He mentioned Pahalgam...All the points that our PM made were reflected in the final document, in the Tianjin Declaration. So, that is also a very important aspect that the SCO Summit as a whole accepts and incorporates India's thoughts and views in their final document," she said.
Speaking about PM Modi's visit to Japan, the former diplomat emphasised that important decisions were taken on defence and security cooperation.
She also added that even without Quad, India-Japan cooperation on defence and security matters will continue.
"I think in Japan, this was a bilateral visit. It has set the perspective for the future of Japan-India relations for the next decade and more. Very important decisions were taken on defence and security cooperation. It was so significant. Whether there is a Quad or not, the bilateral cooperation between India and Japan in the South China Sea, on defence and security matters, will continue," she said.
She added that bilateral efforts in technology cooperation were also advanced, reflecting the synergy between Japanese innovation and Indian enterprise.
"Also on technology, Japanese technology is being used for making products of high defence value, including a communication antenna for naval ships and so on. So, all this has been a great movement forward. It shows that India and Japan have a very beneficial, mutually respectful relationship which will go very far indeed. Japanese technology and Indian talent, Japanese making in India, investing in India for selling to India and the rest of the world," she added.
PM Modi concluded his four-day visit to Japan and China, which spanned from August 29 to September 1, on Monday.
In China, PM Modi attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on August 31 to September 1 and held bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
At his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, PM Modi affirmed that cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow is vital for global peace, stability, and prosperity.
At the 25th SCO Summit in Tianjin, which he participated in on Monday, the Prime Minister called for greater action against terror financing and radicalisation. He highlighted the Pahalgam terror attack and urged the SCO to hold countries that perpetrate or support cross-border terrorism accountable, while also congratulating Kyrgyzstan on assuming the SCO presidency.
In Japan, PM Modi attended the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit in Tokyo. He lauded the outcomes of the Tokyo visit and expressed hope that India-Japan ties continue to reach newer heights in the future. (ANI)