Indian Ambassador George underlines Quad ahead of Modi’s Tokyo visit
KATHMANDU: India’s Ambassador to Japan, Sibi George, underlined the importance of the Quad amid strained ties with the US and suggested a discussion is likely to take place between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart, Shigeru Ishiba, during Modi’s visit to Tokyo.
In comments to ANI, Sibi George said, ‘The Quad is an important framework, an important group of four like-minded countries coming together with concrete positive proposals to build a relationship for the peace, stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. So, when two important leaders of the Indo-Pacific, India and Japan, meet, particularly in this geopolitical situation, they will discuss the entire spectrum of geopolitical issues. Of course, the Quad is a very important topic that will be covered in the discussions.’
When asked about the 50% tariffs imposed on India by the US, Sibi George, referring to India and Japan as Quad members, suggested that the leaders might address ‘the geopolitical situation and the geo-economic situation.’ He added, ‘India and Japan are two important countries in the Indo-Pacific region, and they are also two very important countries in the Quad. When they meet, the leadership will discuss the geopolitical and geo-economic situations. Definitely, all these issues will come up during the talks.’
Sibi George assured that India intends to take the Quad forward despite its strained relationship with the US. ‘The Quad is something that started in 2004 during the tsunami, and since then, we have seen it come a long way. It has summits and foreign ministers’ meetings, but it has a very concrete and positive agenda with which it has been working for the last few years. So we look forward to taking it forward.’
Meanwhile, the US has reduced tariffs on Japan to 15% after securing a trade deal, down from an initial 25% imposed in July 2025.
Modi will begin a two-day visit to Japan on August 29, during which he will participate in the annual summit with his Japanese counterpart, Shigeru Ishiba. After concluding his visit to Japan, he will head to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on August 31 and September 1.
By RSS/ANI
