India, Japan agree to work together on climate change issue

Hua Hin (Thailand), Oct. 24 (ANI): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Japanese counterpart Yukio Hatoyama have agreed to work together in a positive and constructive way on the climate change issue.

The two leaders held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in the Thai seaside town of Hua Hin on Saturday.

Singh reiterated that the solution must be based on principles of equity and the overriding imperative of economic development and poverty reduction.

He also referred to India's National Action Plan for Climate Change and reiterated India's intention to keep our per capita GHG emissions lower than global average.

Singh underscored the importance of an early finalization of major economic initiatives that the two sides have jointly begun, in particular, the Dedicated Freight Corridor Project, the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project and the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

Hatoyama said he attaches particular importance to the realisation of the Dedicated Freight Corridor Project and the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project as symbols of cooperation between Japan and India.

The two Prime Ministers also had a good discussion on the future of the East Asia Summit process and on the importance of evolving an open and transparent regional economic arrangement that will be most beneficial to our region.

They agreed that this regional architecture needs to be based on the new opportunities that India and Japan, as important economies, present to the region as a whole.

PM has also reiterated his invitation to the Japanese Prime Minister to make an early visit to India.

Hatoyama conveyed that he is looking forward to visit India "to further develop our relations." By: Lokendra Singh (ANI)