Today at the State Department, the United States hosted Japan and India for their fourth trilateral dialogue, exchanging views on a wide range range of regional and global issues of mutual interest.
This discussion was co-chaired by Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert O. Blake, Jr. and Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs James P. Zumwalt. The Japanese delegation was headed by Deputy Vice Foreign Minister for Foreign Policy Kenji Hiramatsu and Deputy Director-General Kanji Yamanouchi and the Indian delegation was headed by External Affairs Ministry Joint Secretaries DB Venkatesh Varma and Vikram Doraiswami.
These discussions focused on the prospect of greater Indo-Pacific commercial connectivity and regional and maritime security, and cooperation in multilateral fora. All sides welcomed the frank and comprehensive nature of the discussions and agreed the talks help advance shared values and interests. The group agreed to meet again in the fall in Tokyo to continue their deliberations.