Tokyo: Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and his Maldives counterpart, Abdulla Shahid, agreed Sunday to vitalize bilateral dialogue and exchanges in the foreign affairs and security fields.

Meeting in Male, the capital of the Maldives, the two agreed to strengthen their countries’ cooperation to achieve a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Hayashi said to Shahid that Japan wants to promote security cooperation with the Maldives, which is located at a strategic location in the Indian Ocean.

In response, Shahid said his country hopes to continue to cooperate with Japan in order to maintain peace and stability in the Indian Ocean.

JIJI Press