The Japanese Prime Minister will now visit only New Delhi, while the proposed investment summit involving Japanese participation is expected to be held at a later date
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday, June 23, said the proposed visit of the Prime Minister of Japan to Assam has been cancelled due to logistical issues, although the Japanese leader’s visit to New Delhi will proceed as scheduled.
Addressing the media, the Chief Minister said India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri informed the Assam Chief Secretary at around 10:30 pm on Monday about the decision.
“The Foreign Secretary communicated that the proposed visit of the Prime Minister of Japan has been cancelled due to logistical issues. However, the visit will now be confined to New Delhi only. We have also been assured that the proposed investment summit will be held on a mutually agreed date,” the Chief Minister said.
The Chief Minister said the Ministry of External Affairs had not provided any detailed explanation for the cancellation and that the state government would seek further clarification.
“The reason behind the cancellation has not been explained to us. We will have to ascertain the actual reason. When I visit Delhi and meet External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, I hope to get a clearer picture,” he added.
Calling the development disappointing, the Chief Minister noted that officials from the Japanese Embassy had been stationed in Guwahati for the past month to oversee preparations.
The Chief Minister further said hotel bookings, food arrangements and other logistical plans had already been finalised ahead of the visit. “It is a sad moment for us,” the Chief Minister said, adding that he did not wish to speculate on the reasons behind the cancellation without official information.
Despite the setback, the Chief Minister expressed hope that the proposed investment summit involving Japanese participation would take place on a future mutually agreed date.
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