India and Japan on Wednesday unveiled a detailed set of high level meetings and exchanges to strengthen security cooperation, even as the Japanese prime minister asked India to sign the CTBT (Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty). Signatories of the CTBT undertake not to carry out any nuclear explosions.
Yukio Hatoyama told journalists after his meeting with prime minister Manmohan Singh that the two sides have differences over the CTBT and the NPT. “I expressed the hope that along with the US and China, India will sign and ratify the treaty.”
Singh responded by saying: “Should the US and China ratify the CTBT, a new situation will emerge.”
To that, Hatoyama said: “I believe he (Singh) has stated it as a matter of fact. We have to firmly engage in these endeavours.”
Singh said India was committed to “universal, voluntary and non-discriminatory” disarmament and voluntary moratorium on nuclear testing.
Hatoyama did not commit on a possible civilian nuclear deal between India and Japan, given the latter’s concerns about Indian use of dual use technologies.
However, the two sides made major strides in firming up a close strategic cooperation. They unveiled a detailed action plan to advance security cooperation between New Delhi and Tokyo. The plan includes annual summit meetings between foreign ministers, regular consultations between defence ministers and national security advisers, and annual policy dialogues at various other forums.
The two sides also announced annual bilateral naval exercises and a host of exchanges between military institutions, besides other things. They also vowed to work towards “open, transparent and inclusive regional cooperation in Asia, in both economic and security fields”.
Singh said the two leaders have “decided to expedite negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in order to conclude a high quality and balanced agreement. We are hopeful that this can be completed in time for the next annual summit meeting”.The leaders also agreed “on the early implementation of the Dedicated Freight Corridor Project between Mumbai and New Delhi”, according to Singh.
