Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Yoshihide Suga on Monday discussed the Covid 19 situation in the two countries and highlighted the importance of close bilateral cooperation to overcome the various regional and global challenges posed by the pandemic.

The two leaders, speaking over the phone, appreciated the “support and facilitation” provided to resident citizens in each other’s country during the pandemic, and agreed to continue such coordination, an official Indian statement said..

They “exchanged views on various regional and global challenges posed by the pandemic” and “highlighted the importance of close India-Japan cooperation to overcome these challenges, such as by working together to create resilient, diversified and trustworthy supply chains, ensuring reliable supply of critical materials and technologies”.

They also stressed on ”developing new partnerships in manufacturing and skill development,” the statement said.

In this context, the two leaders emphasised the need for early operationalisation of the Specified Skilled Workers (SSW) agreement in order to synergise their strengths and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.

Under the SSW programme,Japan has inked a pact with India to promote the movement of skilled workers from India to Japan.

Modi and Suga also highlighted the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project as a “shining example of their cooperation” and welcomed the steady progress in its execution, the statement said.

Modi thanked Suga for providing assistance to India for combating the pandemic. Earlier this year, Japan signed an agreement to hand out a 50 billion Yen loan to India to help the south Asian nation alleviate the socio-economic impact of the pandemic.

The loan comes on top of the financial assistance given to India by Japan-backed Asian Development Bank to combat the infection.