Japan-Côte d'Ivoire Relations
Japan-Cote d’Ivoire Summit Meeting
August 31, 2019
Japan-Cote d’Ivoire Summit Meeting(Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office)
On August 31, for about 20 minutes, from 10:30 am, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a Japan-Cote d’Ivoire summit meeting with H.E. Mr. Amadou Gon Coulibaly, Prime Minister and Minister of Budget and State Portfolio of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire. The overview of the meeting is as follows. Prime Minister Coulibaly participated in the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) which was held from August 28 to 30.
- At the outset, Prime Minister Abe referred to his visit to Cote d’Ivoire in 2014, and expressed his gratitude to Cote d’Ivoire’s role as a key nation of the West African economy at TICAD7, which aims to promote business. In response, Prime Minister Coulibaly stated, “I appreciate warm reception by Japan. Prime Minister Abe’s visit to West Africa, including Cote d’Ivoire, in 2014 was truly significant not only for our bilateral friendly relations, but also for the entire region.” Prime Minister Coulibaly also highly valued the course of action upheld in TICAD7 and offered his congratulations on the success of TICAD7.
- Following that, Prime Minister Abe stated that he was pleased with the conclusion of the negotiation on a bilateral investment agreement, and that Japan will take this opportunity to strengthen trade and investment relations between the two countries. Prime Minister Abe also expressed his intention to support Japanese companies’ entry into Cote d’Ivoire by establishing the “Committee on the Improvement of the Business Environment for Japanese Companies’ Activities” between Japan and Cote d’Ivoire. In addition, Prime Minister Abe expressed Japan’s intent to provide supports in the area of maternal and child health, as part of the efforts towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). In response, Prime Minister Coulibaly expressed his gratitude for Japan’s support thus far, and introduced the establishment of a Japan Desk to facilitate investment from Japan and the signing of MOUs between the Government of Cote d’Ivoire and Japanese companies, expressing his hopes for further investment from Japan.
- The two leaders also exchanged views regarding cooperation in the international arena, including UN Security Council reform, and the North Korea situation.