INDIA,JAPAN
SIGN LANDMARK NUCLEAR ENERGY DEAL AFTER 6 YEARS OF TALKS
ഇന്ത്യയും ജപ്പാനും ആണവകരാറില് ഒപ്പുവെച്ചു
After
six years of wrangling and intense negotiations, India and Japan today signed a
landmark civil nuclear agreement in Tokyo, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi
and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe held talks. PM Modi is on a three-day
visit to Japan, his second in two years.
1.
"The Agreement
for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy marks a historic step in our
engagement to build a clean energy partnership," said PM Modi.2 The agreement will
allow Japan to supply nuclear reactors, fuel and technology to India, which
will be the first country that has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty or
NPT to have such a deal with Tokyo.3.
The two countries had
reached a broad agreement last December during Mr Abe's visit to India, but
Japan, the only country to have suffered a nuclear attack, saw strong political
resistance to the deal, especially after the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima
Nuclear Power Plant.4.
Tokyo had reservations
about such an agreement with a nation that hasn't signed the Non-Proliferation
Treaty, and had sought assurances from New Delhi that it would not conduct
nuclear tests any more.
5.
India has declared a
moratorium on nuclear testing since its last explosions in 1998. But with
concerns about neighbours China and Pakistan being nuclear armed, it has not
signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty, contending that it is discriminatory.6.
Japan is a major
player in the nuclear energy market and this deal will make it easier for
US-based companies like Westinghouse and GE to set up atomic plants in India as
both have Japanese investments.
7.
India is in advanced
negotiations with Westinghouse Electric, owned by Japan's Toshiba, to build six
nuclear reactors in the south - a part of New Delhi's plan to ramp up nuclear
capacity ten-fold by 2032. A joint statement by
PM Modi and Mr Abe also made a strong reference to Pakistan. "The two
Prime Ministers condemned terrorism in strongest terms in all its forms and
manifestations in the spirit of 'zero tolerance'... They called upon all
countries to implement the UNSC Resolution 1267 and other relevant resolutions
designating terrorist entities," it said, referring to India's bid to get
Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar designated as global a terrorist under this
resolution.9.
The Prime Minister
landed in Tokyo last night and this morning met Japanese Emperor Akihito. He
also addressed top Japanese CEOs and invited investments, saying India has a
huge and substantial need for finances and his government is pursuing reform
policies to make the country the world's "most open" economy.10.
From Tokyo, PM Modi,
accompanied by Shinzo Abe, will travel to Kobe by the famed Shinkansen bullet
train, the technology that will be deployed for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed
Railway. He will visit the Kawasaki Heavy Industries facility in Kobe, where
high speed railway is manufactured. Japan wants to edge out China in new bullet
train deals with India. The competition between Asia's biggest economies for
high-speed rail contracts has been intense. China beat out Japan for a line in
Indonesia last year, and the two are set to face off again over a proposed
Singapore-Kuala Lumpur link.
ആറ് വര്ഷത്തെ ചര്ച്ചകള്ക്ക് ശേഷം ഇന്ത്യയും ജപ്പാനും ആണവകരാറില് ഒപ്പുവെച്ചു. മൂന്ന് ദിവസത്തെ സന്ദര്ശനത്തിനായി വ്യാഴാഴ്ച ജപ്പാനിലെത്തിയ ഇന്ത്യന് പ്രധാനമന്ത്രി നരേന്ദ്ര മോദിയും ജപ്പാന് പ്രധാനമന്ത്രി ഷിന്സോ അബേയും ആണവകരാര് കൈമാറി. കരാര് പ്രകാരം ജപ്പാനില് നിന്നും ഇന്ത്യക്ക് ആണവ റിയാക്ടറുകളും ഇന്ധനവും സാങ്കേതികവിദ്യയും ലഭ്യമാകും. ഊര്ജ രംഗത്ത് ചരിത്രപരമായ ചുവടുവെപ്പാണ് കരാറിലൂടെ ഉണ്ടായിരിക്കുന്നതെന്ന് പ്രധാനമന്ത്രി നരേന്ദ്ര മോദി പറഞ്ഞു.
കഴിഞ്ഞ ഡിസംബറില് അബെ ഇന്ത്യ സന്ദര്ശിച്ചപ്പോള് ആണവകരാറിനെ കുറിച്ച് ചര്ച്ച ചെയ്തിരുന്നു. ഇതുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട ചില കരാറുകളും ഒപ്പുവെച്ചിരുന്നു. എന്നാല് 2011 ലെ ഫുകുഷിമയില് ഉണ്ടായ അപകടത്തെ തുടര്ന്ന് ജപ്പാനില് ശക്തമായ രാഷ്ട്രീയ എതിര്പ്പ് ഉള്ളതിനാല് കരാര് ഒപ്പിടാന് സാധിച്ചിരുന്നില്ല.
Prof. John Kurakar
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