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Polish Foreign Minister in Japan

PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea 19.05.2017 06:30
An action plan to improve bilateral relations between Poland and Japan between 2017 and 2020 was signed on Thursday by Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski in Tokyo.
Polish FM Witold Waszczykowski with Japan's Fumio Kishida. Photo: MSZPolish FM Witold Waszczykowski with Japan's Fumio Kishida. Photo: MSZ

The document was signed by Waszczykowski and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida.

The Action Plan reflects the ongoing cooperation between governments of the two countries, businesses, as well as research and academic circles of both countries. “It also maps out new initiatives in preparation for the 100th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations which will be celebrated in 2019,” the Polish foreign ministry said in a statement.

The meeting with Kishida was the focal point of the first day of Waszczykowski's visit to Japan.

“We renewed our diplomatic relations exactly 60 years ago. We have more in common with Japan than it would appear: a long history of cooperation, mutual affinity and respect, and shared political and economic interests. We share many views on the challenges facing today’s world,” Waszczykowski said during the talk.

During the meeting, Waszczykowski raised issues of Japanese investments in Poland, bilateral trade, and cooperation between the European Union and Japan. The ministers also discussed Brexit, cooperation between Japan and the Visegrad Group, and the international situation, including North Korea. Polish-Japanese cooperation in multilateral organisations, in particular the UN, was also on the agenda.

Japan held a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council 11 times and is the most frequently elected country to the Security Council. Poland is currently gathering support to gain a non-permanent seat on the Council.

“We encourage Japan to be more active in Poland and in our region. We have a long list of joint projects,” said Waszczykowski after the talks. Japan's Kishida expressed interest in the development of economic and political cooperation with Poland.

On Thursday Waszczykowski also opened a seminar on the prospects of Polish-Japanese cooperation in energy, “Alternative fuels in transportation – potential areas of cooperation between Poland and Japan.”

The meeting took place at the Polish Embassy in Tokyo and brought together representatives of the Polish and Japanese ministries of economy, the energy and mining sectors, research institutes, and universities. (rg/pk)

Source: Polish Foreign Ministry

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