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The 2nd Meeting of the Japan-Ukraine Cooperation Committee
JOINT STATEMENT

Tokyo, 25 March, 2008
Japanese

H.E. Mr. Volodymyr Ohryzko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine visited Japan at the invitation of the Government of Japan from 24 to 26 March 2008, and held the 2nd meeting of the "Japan - Ukraine Cooperation Committee" with H.E. Mr. Masahiko Koumura, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan on 25 March. At the meeting the Ministers discussed a wide range of issues, including the bilateral relationship and global issues of mutual interest.

1. The Ministers highly valued and welcomed the steady development of bilateral relations after the "Joint Statement on a New Partnership in the 21st Century between Japan and Ukraine" in 2005, and noted the importance of enhancing the relations between Japan and Ukraine which share fundamental values such as democracy, freedom, human rights, the rule of law and the market economy.
2. The Ministers confirmed their intentions to realize the first visit of the Prime Minister of Ukraine to Japan at their convenience, and to coordinate the timing of the visit through the diplomatic channel.
3. The Ukrainian side expressed its appreciation to Japan for its consistent support for the consolidation of democracy, the transition to a market economy, and the improvement of healthcare and medical services in Ukraine, as well as for its assistance in overcoming Chernobyl tragedy.
   The Ukrainian side also highly valued Japan's cultural grant aid programs to Ukraine, which contributed to promoting Ukrainian culture and higher education and to developing the bilateral cultural exchanges by nurturing understanding of and friendly feelings toward Japan.
   The Japanese side expressed its willingness to continue such assistance in these fields.
4. The Ministers welcomed recent developments in bilateral economic relations, especially the 1st Joint meeting for Japan-Ukraine Business Cooperation, which took place in Ukraine in February 2008 between the Committee on Ukraine of Nippon Keidanren and the Ukrainian Coordination Council for Economic Cooperation with Japan. The Ministers expressed their willingness to further promote the bilateral economic relations.
5. The Ukrainian side expressed appreciation for Japan's initiative to support the efforts of the Government of Ukraine in the areas of tourism promotion and economic development by organizing the Workshop on Tourism Promotion and the Workshop on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Promotion in Tokyo in February 2008.
6. The Ministers shared the view that Japan and Ukraine will work closely in the process under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), aiming to establish an effective framework beyond 2012, in which all major emitting countries will participate. The Ukrainian side welcomed Japan's "Cool Earth" initiatives and supported the ideas given in "Cool Earth 50" and "Cool Earth Promotion Programme."
   The Ministers, aiming to promote environmental protection measures in Ukraine including inter alia reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, also expressed their intention to enhance cooperation between their countries aimed at ensuring early implementation of the Green Investment Scheme (GIS) and the Joint Implementation (JI) projects under the Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC.
7. The Ministers also confirmed their intention to coordinate for holding the 2nd Meeting of the Japan-Ukraine Commission for Science and Technology Cooperation in Tokyo after this autumn.
8. The Ministers expressed their determination to work together actively for an early realization of the UN Security Council reform, including the expansion of both permanent and non-permanent membership of the Council. In this context, the Ukrainian side reiterated its strong support for Japan's permanent membership of the Security Council, and the Japanese side expressed its appreciation for the support.
9. The Ministers exchanged views on international issues of mutual interest, especially on the recent situation in North Korea, including the nuclear and abduction issues, and Europe, and confirmed to continue close dialogue and cooperation on these issues. The Ministers also confirmed their determination to enhance dialogue at both bilateral and multilateral levels in the framework of Japan-GUAM, which started in June 2007.
10. Taking into consideration the importance of holding the sessions of the Japan-Ukraine Cooperation Committee regularly, the Ministers shared the view that both Ministries will consider the possibility of holding the next session of the Committee in Kyiv at the earliest and mutually convenient timing, preferably in 2009.