Courtesy Call from Minister for Foreign Affairs Seiji Maehara on President Karimov of the Republic of Uzbekistan

February 9, 2011
Japanese

On Wednesday, February 9, Mr. Seiji Maehara, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, paid a courtesy call at the State Guest House on H.E. Mr. Islam Karimov, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, who is on his official working visit to Japan. The overview of the meeting is as follows.

Bilateral Relationship

(1) Minister Maehara said that the President's visit to Japan will be an opportunity to strengthen the strategic partnership between Japan and Uzbekistan, which is a geopolitically important country.

(2) In response, President Karimov noted that cooperation with Japan is essential for the further development of Uzbekistan, and expressed his intention to give additional momentum to activating the potentials inherent in the relationship between the two countries.

(3) Minister Maehara, while touching on the history concerning the construction of Navoi Opera Theater in Uzbekistan, the special regard paid by the people of Uzbekistan to the cemetery of Japanese detainees, and related matters, emphasized the importance of nurturing the human relationship of trust, along with bilateral economic relations.
Bilateral Economic Relations

(1) President Karimov noted the dynamic development of its relations with Japan over many years, and expressed his acknowledgment that the two countries should cooperate in a mutually beneficial matter, as Japan possesses the world's leading technologies, whereas Uzbekistan stands out even among the Central Asian countries in terms of abundance of uranium, rare metals and earths, and hydrocarbon resources.

(2) In response, Minister Maehara noted that it is important above all that the relationship of trust between the two countries is further strengthened and elevated to a higher level during the President's visit to Japan, in addition to confirming cooperation in the area of exploration of uranium, rare metals, and other resources as well as cooperation for railway electrification using ODA loans, which is also important.
Cooperation in the International Arena
President Karimov expressed his continued support for Japan to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council as a result of its reform, and Minister Maehara expressed his appreciation for Uzbekistan's consistent support for Japan.

(*This is a provisional translation. The above date denotes the date of the issue of the original press release in Japanese.)

(END)

Back to Index