NEW DELHI: Terming Japan as India's major partner in its infrastructure development, President Pranab Mukherjee today asked Japanese private sector to seize opportunities available here due to current growth rate of the country.
Welcoming visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe here at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Mukherjee said India attaches high value to its partnership with Japan and considers Japan a key strategic partner. Bilateral relations between India and Japan have been strengthened through efforts of successive governments in both countries, he said.
Japan is a major partner in infrastructure development of India. The projects that have been undertaken through Japanese Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) have directly impacted in a positive way the lives of ordinary Indians, the President said.
India would like to see an expansion of ODA projects and more Japanese business activities as well as an enhancement in the flow of FDI into India, Mukherjee said.
The President said India's current growth rate provides opportunities and he was confident that the Japanese private sector will seize these opportunities, a press release issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan said.
The Japanese Prime Minister, who had called on Mukherjee, warmly reciprocated the President's sentiments and paid tribute to the President on his contributions over the years to India-Japan relations.
He conveyed condolences and support to the victims of the floods in Chennai. The Japanese Prime Minister said relations between the two countries are built on common values and strategic interests. Cooperation between the two countries is important for the peace and security of the entire India-Pacific region, it said.