|
On September 26, DPJ Administration Committee Chair Naoki Tanaka met with a non-partisan group of Indian parliamentarians belonging to the India-Japan Parliamentary Forum at DPJ party headquarters, and held discussions. The meeting was also attended by International Department Director-General Koichiro Watanabe, and Vice Directors-General Marutei Tsurunen and Gaku Kato.
At the start of the meeting, Tanaka welcomed the delegation, and expressed his gratitude for the assistance received from India in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake. He also touched on the fact that 2012 is the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and India, and expressed the willingness to further deepen exchanges on a variety of levels between both the private and public sectors, starting with exchanges between parliamentarians.
The leader of the India-Japan Parliamentary Forum delegation, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, member of the Rajya Sabha, introduced the other members of the delegation, and addressed the Japanese side, saying, “The triple disaster of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident has been a tremendous ordeal for Japan, and we pray that you will be able to recover from this disaster as quickly as possible. India wants to do as much as we possibly can to help.”
Following this, the two sides engaged in a lively exchange covering a wide range of topics, including the bilateral relationship, nuclear-power related issues, the environment and security issues. Both sides shared the perception that it was important to strengthen exchanges between the two nations.
|
