India-Japan-Russia grouping in the works
A new trilateral format is taking shape in the Indo-Pacific region, with India, Japan and Russia planning to hold a joint meeting in the near future as part of their emerging partnership.
India took the initiative to hold the trilateral meet amid Russia’s reservations on the Quad format, which involves India, Japan, Australia and the United States. The focus of the meeting would be to explore trilateral cooperation in the resource-rich Russian Far East, according to people aware of the matter.
Russia has been seeking both Indian and Japanese investments and presence in its Far East amid China’s growing presence in the region. The trilateral dialogue will be launched at a Track-2 level involving top three state-run think tanks, said the people.
India is part of several trilateral groupings in the Indo-Pacific region – India-Japan-USA; India-Japan-Australia; India-Indonesia-Australia and India-France-Australia – to ensure stability in the global growth theatre. It has also been interested in active cooperation with Russia.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar had last year suggested an expansion of the partnership between India and Japan in third countries including the Russian Far East.
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