Japanese PM Shinzo Abe calls off Guwahati meet with PM Modi
With this, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to India for the summit was also cancelled.
New Delhi: In a major casualty of the violent protests rocking Assam and some other parts of the Northeast due to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act controversy, India on Friday announced the cancellation of its annual summit with Japan that was to have been held in Guwahati from December 15 to 17.
With this, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to India for the summit was also cancelled.
“With reference to the proposed visit of Japanese PM Shinzo Abe to India, both sides have decided to defer the visit to a mutually convenient date in the near future,” the external affairs ministry announced in a terse statement.
The proposed venue was never officially announced but all preparations had been made to hold the summit in Guwahati.
The MEA had, however, officially announced the dates recently for the summit.
The new dates and venue are expected to be decided by the two sides in the coming weeks.
Whether the summit ultimately takes place in Guwahati is held elsewhere will depend on the situation in Assam.
The cancellation is, however, a blow to the Indian government’s efforts to showcase the Northeast as a region that can hold such high-profile meetings.
Japan has been interested in investing in the region and the earlier proposed holding of the summit in Guwahati was to have been a powerful signal to this end.