Japanese PM Abe cancels India visit

New Delhi: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to India for an annual summit with his counterpart Narendra Modi in Guwahati was on Friday cancelled in the wake of violent protests over the amended citizenship law in the northeast.

Both sides have decided to "defer" Abe's visit for the December 15-17 summit to a mutually convenient date, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said without giving any reason for the decision.

The cancellation of the Japanese prime minister's trip came a day after Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan called off their visits to India following the enactment of the controversial law.

"With reference to the proposed visit of Japanese PM Abe to India, both sides have decided to defer the visit to a mutually convenient date in the near future," the MEA spokesperson said.

Diplomatic sources said the summit is now expected to take place next year.

(Image from moneycontrol.com)