- News>
- India
Japanese foreign minister paying two day visit to India
New Delhi, Jan 03: For the first time since the 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests, a Japanese foreign minister would pay a two-day visit to `strategically important` India from January 7 but would `skip` Pakistan because of engagements back home.
New Delhi, Jan 03: For the first time since the 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests, a Japanese foreign minister would pay a two-day visit to "strategically important" India from January 7 but would "skip" Pakistan because of engagements back home.
Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, who would be coming from Sri Lanka, is expected to hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, his Deputy L K Advani and External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha on issues like fight against terrorism and cooperation in the United Nations besides discussing developments in Pakistan, Iraq, North Korea and China. Observing that she had initially planned to visit Islamabad, Japanese government sources said here today that "it has been conveyed to Pakistan that the visit stands postponed and it may take place some other time".
On the reason for the postponement, the sources maintained that it might not be connected to reports about Pakistan supplying nuclear technology to North Korea. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will be going to Russia on January 9 and the foreign minister has to be present in Tokyo at that time, they said. "There was no question of skipping India as it was strategically important for Japan. Sri Lanka is important because of the ongoing peace negotiations there," they said.
Asked about Tokyo's views on the ongoing chill in Indo-Pak relations, they said Japan wanted Islamabad to put an end to cross-border terrorism and the two countries to initiate a dialogue.
Bureau Report
Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, who would be coming from Sri Lanka, is expected to hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, his Deputy L K Advani and External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha on issues like fight against terrorism and cooperation in the United Nations besides discussing developments in Pakistan, Iraq, North Korea and China. Observing that she had initially planned to visit Islamabad, Japanese government sources said here today that "it has been conveyed to Pakistan that the visit stands postponed and it may take place some other time".
On the reason for the postponement, the sources maintained that it might not be connected to reports about Pakistan supplying nuclear technology to North Korea. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will be going to Russia on January 9 and the foreign minister has to be present in Tokyo at that time, they said. "There was no question of skipping India as it was strategically important for Japan. Sri Lanka is important because of the ongoing peace negotiations there," they said.
Asked about Tokyo's views on the ongoing chill in Indo-Pak relations, they said Japan wanted Islamabad to put an end to cross-border terrorism and the two countries to initiate a dialogue.
Bureau Report