Wednesday, October 22, 2008

India, Japan sign pact on security

Reaffirming their commitment to fight terrorism and transnational crimes, India and Japan on Wednesday signed a joint declaration on security cooperation that will intensify interaction between their militaries and expand the scope of strategic dialogue between the two Asian powers.

Cooperation between coast guards, defence dialogue, coordination on issues relating to disarmament and non-proliferation and disaster management are some of crucial elements of the security cooperation pact signed here by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso.

According to the joint declaration, mechanisms will be concretised whereby there will be a strategic dialogue at the level of foreign ministers, the defense ministries and periodic consultations by the national security advisers of the two countries.

The coast guards in the two countries will cooperate in maritime security and safety. Bilateral consultations will be intensified to enhance cooperation in the crucial area of counter-terrorism. Japan has also agreed to help develop a tsunami disaster map in India.

There will also be cooperation between the Indian Space Research Organization and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in the field of disaster management.

An action plan with specific measures to advance security cooperation in all these areas will be presented to both prime ministers soon.

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