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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reference to Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi as his "choti behen" during the latter's recent visit to India reflects the genuine friendship and mutual trust underpinning India-Japan relations, Japanese Ambassador to India Keiichi Ono said on Thursday, underlining the importance of people-to-people exchanges in taking the bilateral partnership forward.
Speaking at the India-Japan Stakeholder Consultation on Skill Development: Shaping the Next Chapter of Bilateral Human Resource Cooperation, Ono said closer interaction between the people of the two countries would remain central to the "new and golden chapter" in India-Japan ties, noting that there has never been a more important time to emphasise the importance of people-to-people exchanges. "There's never been a better time to stress the importance of people-to-people exchange. It forms the backbone of trust in the new and golden chapter between India and Japan. Prime Minister Takaichi visited India last month, where she and Prime Minister Modi agreed to advance our partnership of strategic convergence and trust for shared growth, prosperity and resilience," Ono said. Recalling a moment from the Japanese Prime Minister's visit to India last month, Ono highlighted the warmth displayed by the two leaders during their joint press statement following the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit. "One moment from that visit particularly stayed with me. In the joint press statement, Prime Minister Modi warmly referred to Prime Minister Takaichi as his 'choti behen', younger sister, while she responded by calling him her elder brother. It was a touching reminder that the Japan-India relationship is built not only on diplomacy but also on genuine friendship and trust between our two peoples," the envoy said. Last month, Prime Minister Modi had warmly welcomed Takaichi during the joint press statement and referred to her as his "younger sister (Choti Behen)", highlighting the personal warmth that has increasingly come to characterise interactions between the two leaders. Takaichi reciprocated the sentiment in her remarks, saying that the two leaders had agreed to take the India-Japan relationship forward "as brother and sister". The exchange came during Takaichi's three-day official visit to India from July 1 to July 3, during which she participated in the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi. (ANI)
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