New Delhi: Setting the tone for their
substantive talks on Tuesday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and
his Japanese counterpart Yukio Hatoyama tonight had an
overview of bilateral relations and international issues at a
private dinner hosted by the Indian leader.
The two leaders will discuss tomorrow ways to enhance
ties in various fields including security, trade and explore
the possibility of cooperation in civil nuclear energy.
Regional issues like situation in Afghanistan and
international matters including climate change and reforms in
UNSC will also come up for discussions.
Hatoyama, who is on his first official visit after taking
over in mid-September, was accompanied by his wife Miyuki
Hatoyama at the dinner hosted by Singh and his wife Gursharan
Kaur at their 7 Race Course Road residence.
Hatoyama is here to "feel the pulse of the vibrant, fast
emerging India personally," Japanese Foreign Ministry
spokesman Kazuo Kodama said, adding the visit is aimed at
translating the India-Japan strategic and global partnership
into more "action-oriented" cooperation.
Kodama indicated that civil nuclear cooperation will be
among the issues to be discussed during the Summit talks.
Japanese business community is keen to have civil nuclear
cooperation with India but the policy of their government is
preventing this.
Though Japan welcomes India's unilateral moratorium on
nuclear tests, it "hopes" that it will sign and ratify CTBT,
Kodama said.
PTI
First Published: Monday, December 28, 2009, 20:39