Modi welcomes Japanese PM Abe with warm hug, road show ahead

Ahmedabad: Elaborate arrangements have been made at Ahmedabad city of poll-bound Gujarat to welcome Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Narendra Modi is likely to receive him at the airport.

Abe will undertake a two-day official visit to India from Wednesday to hold the annual India-Japan Summit with Modi in Gandhinagar, the capital of the Prime Minister's home state Gujarat.

"I look forward to welcoming PM @AbeShinzo. I will be hosting him in Gujarat in our fourth annual summit together," Modi tweeted in English as well as in Japanese.

"PM @AbeShinzo and I will attend a wide range of programmes on 13th and 14th September 2017, aimed at further boosting India-Japan ties," he added.

In another tweet, he said the two leaders will attend a programme to mark the start of work of India's first high- speed rail project between Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

The train is expected to significantly reduce travel time between the two cities. Japan is a pioneer in high-speed rail networks, and its Shinkansen bullet train is among the fastest in the world.

"India truly values the relationship with Japan and we look forward to further boosting our bilateral ties in a wide range of sectors," the prime minister said.

The two leaders will review the recent progress in the multifaceted cooperation between India and Japan under the framework of their 'Special Strategic and Global Partnership' and will set its future direction.

The two leaders will also hold a road show in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. This is for the first time when an Indian prime minister is holding a road show with his counterpart from another nation.

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's standing committee chairman Pravin Patel said a large number of people, including singing troupes who will be performing at 28 different locations along the route, will greet Modi and Abe.

"On the entire route of the the road show, which will also pass from Sabarmati Riverfront, we have erected 28 small stages where dancers from 28 different states, all dressed in their traditional attire, would showcase their performance when these leaders pass," said Patel.

After visiting the Sabarmati Ashram, where Mahatma Gandhi lived between 1917 and 1930, both the leaders would take a break till evening, said Patel.

"In the evening, both the PMs would visit the iconic Sidi Saiyyed Mosque in the eastern part of the city. The mosque is known across the world for the stone lattice work," he said, adding that both the leaders would be shown a presentation about the city's heritage on the occasion.

Modi and Abe will have Gujarati thali for dinner at 'Agashiye' restaurant located near the mosque, Patel added.

On Thursday, Abe and Modi will attend the ground breaking ceremony for the ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Project, commonly referred to as the Bullet Train project.

Later that day, both the premiers will hold the 12th India-Japan annual summit at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.