Japan-Djibouti Relations
Japan-Djibouti Summit Meeting
August 28, 2016
Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office
Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office
On August 28, commencing at 10:25 a.m. (local time; 4:25 p.m. Japan time) for approximately 20 minutes, Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, who was visiting Nairobi, Kenya, to attend the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI), held a Japan-Djibouti Summit Meeting with H.E. Mr. Ismaël Omar Guelleh, President of the Republic of Djibouti. The overview of the meeting is as follows.
- At the beginning of the meeting, Prime Minister Abe expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome he received during his visit to Djibouti in 2013 and for Djibouti’s hosting of the TICAD Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) this March. He also expressed his hope to cooperate with President Guelleh for ensuring the success of the TICAD meeting,a historically significant first summit meeting to be held in Africa. In response, President Guelleh offered his congratulations on the success of TICAD VI.
- President Guelleh expressed gratitude for Japan’s continued cooperation, and expressed his hope for further assistance, including for geothermal power generation.
- Prime Minister Abe expressed gratitude for the continued support from Djibouti for the counter-piracy operations of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. Prime Minister Abe also explained that a trainee from Djibouti will be received this year under the ABE Initiative and that Japan has decided to implement 140 million yen in food aid to Djibouti, to which President Guelleh expressed his gratitude.
- In addition, the two leaders also exchanged views on matters such as cooperation in the international arena. The two leaders concurred on the importance of the freedom of navigation as leaders of two maritime nations.