India, Japan to work for early FMCT, fast-track economic pact

Tokyo/New Delhi, July 3 (Inditop.com) India and Japan, the only country to have been attacked by atomic bombs, Friday decided to work together for an early conclusion of the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) and to fast-track negotiations on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement.

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, who began his two-day visit to Tokyo Friday, held the third annual strategic dialogue with his Japanese counterpart Hirofumi Nakasone on a wide array of bilateral issues, including the boosting economic and commercial ties.

The two sides also decided to step up cooperation on a host of global issues, including climate change, nuclear disarmament, maritime security and the global financial crisis.

Imparting fresh momentum to their growing economic ties, the two countries agreed to give a push to the dedicated freight corridor and Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor projects that have emerged as symbols of an emerging strategic partnership between them.

“We are making progress in our negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. Foreign Minister Nakasone and I agreed on the necessity of concluding a high quality and mutually beneficial agreement,” Krishna told reporters at a joint press interaction with Nakasone in Tokyo.

Climate change figured prominently in the discussions. The two countries agreed to work together for “an equitable and fair outcome” at the Copenhagen summit in December which is expected to come out with a deal enhancing the Kyoto protocol with a new ambitious arrangement to cut down global carbon emissions.

India expects the new deal will ensure “that developing countries are able to continue their economic growth at an accelerated pace to give our people a better quality of life”, Krishna said.

Krishna and Nakasone also discussed the agenda for Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso’s visit to India later this year.

Nakasone stressed on the need for India and Japan to cooperate in the area of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

“We shared the view that we should work together so that negotiations on the Fissile Material Cut-Off treaty will be commenced as soon as possible,” Nakasone said.

The two ministers shared the view that the nuclear tests by North Korea are “a threat to the international community”, Nakasone said.

Krishna stressed that India “will participate constructively in negotiations on nuclear disarmament” and reiterated New Delhi’s commitment to “a universal, non-discriminatory and verifiable regime for a nuclear weapon-free world”.

Japan had serious reservations about the India-US nuclear deal, but finally backed consensus for India in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) last year.