[Title] Remarks by EAM and Japanese FM at Joint Press Interaction

Remarks by Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone

I just concluded the 3rd Japan-India Strategic Dialogue between our two Foreign Ministers with His Excellency Mr. S.M. Krishna, Minister of External Affairs of India. We had a very fruitful exchange of views on bilateral issues as well as various regional & international challenges.

On the bilateral front, both sides affirmed the following points:

(1) The Minister and I agreed to enhance bilateral exchange of views between Japan & India, on the regional situation in South Asia, such as Sri Lanka.

(2) The Minister & I affirmed that we will work together actively towards the realization of the DFC project, or India's Dedicated Freight Corridor, and also towards an early realization of Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project.

(3) Furthermore, we confirmed our collaboration with each other regarding the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Hyderabad, which is a project that symbolizes Japan-India collaboration.

We also exchanged views concerning international challenges and regional situations.

(1) With respect to the issue of climate change, I pointed out the significance of the Major Economies Forum - COP15 - and expressed my hope and expectation for India to exercise leadership even more positively and from a broader perspective. The Minister and I shared the view that we should step up our bilateral dialogue on this issue.

(2) With respect to the issue of disarmament & non-proliferation, I introduced to the Indian side my '11 benchmarks' which were announced by me in April this year, and 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.

(3) On the issue of piracy, the Minister and I agreed that Japan & India will commence bilateral dialogue on maritime security include the issue of piracy.

(4) And furthermore, the Minister and I shared the view that the nuclear & missile development by North Korea is a threat to the international community, and that we need to steadfastly implement the measures set out in the UN Security resolution 1874 and make North Korea to take this very seriously.

Remarks by External Affairs Minister

I am very pleased to be in Japan at the invitation of His Excellency Foreign Minister Nakasone. On behalf of my delegation and on my own behalf, I wish to thank him for his warm hospitality during my visit.

My visit to Japan is taking place soon after the new Government has assumed office in India. This indicates the high importance that my Government attaches to our bilateral relations.

Foreign Minister Nakasone and I held the 3rd Strategic Dialogue. We thoroughly reviewed our bilateral relations since my Prime Minister's visit to Tokyo in October 2008. We agreed that the Strategic & Global Partnership between us is an important factor in furthering our ties, as well as in promoting peace, stability and prosperity in Asia and the world. We also discussed how our two Foreign Ministries will carry forward the process of implementing the agreements and understandings contained in the two joint documents that were signed when my Prime Minister visited Japan last year.

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. We have also agreed to expedite the work on the Dedicated Freight Corridor and Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor projects. I am confident that these will become important symbols of our partnership.

We appreciate the Official Development Assistance given by the Japanese people. It has contributed to our economic development in important ways.

Foreign Minister Nakasone and I also reviewed the follow-up on the implementation of the Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation.

We discussed regional and multilateral issues including UN Reform and multilateral economic arrangements in Asia. We consider it important that both of us regularly share assessments on such issues.

We agreed that climate change is an important global challenge. We hope that all countries will participate constructively in the framework of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol, in order to have an ambitious and, at the same time, an equitable and fair outcome at Copenhagen in 2009 which ensures that developing countries are able to continue their economic growth at an accelerated pace to give our people a better quality of life.

I have assured Foreign Minister Nakasone that we will participate constructively in negotiations on nuclear disarmament. Our consistent policy is to support a universal, non-discriminatory and verifiable regime for a nuclear weapon-free world. We also discussed recent developments in the Korean peninsula.

I will be calling on Prime Minister Taro Aso later today. I will also be meeting other political leaders from Japan during my visit.

I am fully satisfied with my discussions today. I have invited Foreign Minister Nakasone to visit India for the 4th Strategic Dialogue in 2010. We also have an annual summit with Japan. We are looking forward to the Japanese Prime Minister's visit to India at a mutually convenient time. The two Foreign Ministries will continue to discuss matters of mutual interest through the dialogue architecture that we have established between us in the last five years.

Tokyo

July 03, 2009