Prime
Minister Koizumi of Japan met with Prime Minister Singh of India on November 29th in Vientiane during their visit to Laos to attend the summit with
ASIAN leaders. This was the first bilateral meeting
between the two Prime Ministers, who had last
met at the G4 meeting on UN reform in New York this September. The summit centred
on strengthening their bilateral relations and
proved to be beneficial and productive for both
Prime Ministers.
1. Japan-India
Global Partnership
Recalling
the “Japan-India Global Partnership” of August
2000, both Prime Ministers were of the shared
view that as major states of Asia and the international
community, Japan and India should
cooperate in their responsibility and endeavour
for peace, stability and prosperity in the region
and the world.
There
was also meeting of minds among the Prime Ministers
that the recent developments in regional cooperation,
particularly those in Asia,
were conducive to promoting the stability and
economic development in the region. The Prime
Ministers reaffirmed their intention to support
and invigorate the current dynamism in Asia based
on the foundations of the Japan-India Global
Partnership. In this connection, the Prime Ministers
were of one mind that it was imperative in finding
a means to cope with the “arc of instability”
as well as cooperating with a view to realize
an “arc of advantage” which was referred to by
Prime Minister Singh.
2. Bilateral
affairs
(1)
Economic relations
The
two Prime Ministers underlined the great untapped
potential in their economic relationship and
the importance to develop the relationship to
meet its potential. With this in mind, and upon
the basis of the agreement between their foreign
ministers this summer, the two Prime Ministers
agreed to establish a “Japan-India Joint Study
Group for a Comprehensive Study (JSG-CS)” as
a framework for comprehensive review to strengthen
their economic relationship. It was also agreed
that both sides would accelerate the preparation
toward the first meeting of the JSG-CS.
(2)
Economic cooperation
Mindful
that India is
now the largest partner for Japan’s
yen loan, both Prime Ministers were of the common
understanding that Japan’s economic cooperation to India, especially through the development of India’s infrastructure, has been and will be
beneficial for the social economic development
of India, which would also add to
Japan-India economic relations. In this context,
Prime Minister Koizumi expressed his view that Japan will
continue to attach importance to and strengthen Japan’s
economic assistance towards India .
3. Cooperation
in Global issues
(1)
UN reform
Both
Prime Ministers noted their close cooperation
with satisfaction among the G4, including Japan and India , on
the issue of United Nations reform, inter alias,
that of the Security Council. As candidates for
permanent members of the United Nations Security
Council, the Prime Ministers reaffirmed their
will to continue their cooperation to forge an
international consensus for Security Council
reform through expanding both the permanent and
non-permanent categories of the Council and to
achieve results in the High-Level Plenary Meeting
on the Millennium Declaration in September 2005.
(2)
Disarmament & Non-Proliferation
Both
Prime Ministers confirmed their intentions to
cooperate for the prevention of the proliferation
of WMD etc., which poses an imminent challenge
for the international community as well as for
the ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons.
4. Future
High-level visits
Prime
Minister Singh extended to Prime Minister Koizumi
an invitation to visit India , to which Prime Minister
Koizumi expressed his gratitude and his desire
to realise the visit. It was agreed that the
actual timing should be consulted through diplomatic
channel.
