Mr. Arne Walther, Secretary General of the International Energy Forum (IEF), Pays Courtesy Call on Ms. Midori Matsushima, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs
March 19, 2007
1. On March 19 (Mon), Ms. Midori Matsushima, Vice-Minister
for Foreign Affairs, received a courtesy call from Mr. Arne Walther, Secretary
General of the International Energy Forum (IEF), for about 40 minutes from 11:30.
2. Outline of what Mr. Walther stated was as follows:
(1) I wish to express my gratitude for the assistance and cooperation extended by Japan. The role of Japan in Asia is important.
(2) The IEF will further endeavor to promote producer-consumer dialogue and to strengthen the Joint Oil Data Initiative (JODI), reflecting the support for the JODI the G8 leaders expressed at last year’s St. Petersburg Summit in Russia.
(3) Energy security and foreign policy are closely connected; for example,
it is important to examine the influence of the promotion of biofuel on food
and energy from a horizontal viewpoint.
3. Outline of what Ms. Matsushima stated was as follows:
(1) I support the IEF’s continuous efforts to secure transparency of the oil market through strengthening JODI.
(2) The improvement of energy efficiency and the promotion of energy conservation in Asia is important. Japan has extended her cooperation to Asia, including China, in terms of energy conservation and the environment. At the East Asia Summit held in January, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced “Fueling East Asia - Japan's Cooperation Initiative for Clean Energy and Sustainable Growth” including energy-related ODA which will amount to approximately two billion dollars for the next three years.
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