High Level Conference on Southeastern Europe

April 14, 2000

1. A High Level Conference on Southeastern Europe will be held on May 15 (Mon) and 16 (Tue) in Tokyo under the joint auspices of the Foreign Ministry and the National Institute for Research Advancement (NIRA).

2. The Conference will be attended by persons concerned from the Southeastern European countries, the G8 countries, and international organizations, as well as by experts from Japan and other countries.

3. The Conference will discuss (1) Step toward the Promotion of Harmonious Political Cultures, (2) Step to Redeem and Establish Human Dignity, and (3) Step toward the Market Economy, with a view to seeking means of stabilizing Southeastern Europe.

4. As the conflicts in Kosovo intensified last year, the international community became keenly aware that the stability of the whole region of Southeastern Europe was important for that of Kosovo and Bosnia, and the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe was adopted in June.
   Japan has been deeply involved, both politically and economically, for the purpose of the stability of the whole of Southeastern Europe, centering on Kosovo and Bosnia. In December last year, for example, Foreign Minister Yohei Kono visited Kosovo and met with the representatives of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and of each conflicting party to directly urge reconciliation among ethnic groups.

5. As the chair of the G8 Summit Meeting, Japan intends to make a positive contribution to discussions on the stability of Southeastern Europe, an important matter of international concern. It has therefore decided to hold this Conference as a complement to the framework of the Stability Pact and also as a concrete program of the Strengthening of Japan-Europe Political Cooperation that Mr. Kono proposed during his visit to Europe in January this year.
   

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