The ministry of external affairs on Friday announced that the proposed three-day visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to India has been deferred. The annual India-Japan summit, between Abe and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was to have been held in Guwahati from December 15 to 17.
With reference to the proposed visit of Japanese PM @AbeShinzo to India, both sides have decided to defer the visit to a mutually convenient date in the near future.
— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) December 13, 2019
Raveesh Kumar, the official spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs tweeted, "With reference to the proposed visit of Japanese PM @AbeShinzo to India, both sides have decided to defer the visit to a mutually convenient date in the near future."
There were reports earlier in the day that the summit between Abe and Narendra Modi could be postponed or the venue shifted from Guwahati, which has witnessed days of mass protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
The deferment of the visit is a major blow to the Modi government's plans to promote Guwahati as a gateway to India from Southeast Asia. The nixing of Abe's visit comes a day after the foreign and home ministers of Bangladesh cancelled separate trips to India.
