Japan- Guinea-Bissau Relations

On August 29, for about 15 minutes, from 2:05 p.m., Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a summit meeting with H.E. Mr. Aristides Gomes, Prime Minister of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, in Yokohama, Japan. The overview of the meeting is as follows. Prime Minister Gomes is visiting Japan to participate in the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) held from August 28 to 30.

1. At the outset, Prime Minister Abe stated, “The international community, including Japan, is closely watching the situation in Guinea-Bissau, which holds an important position in West Africa. Japan would like to support  Guinea-Bissau to ensure peace and stability and become a core of regional development.” In response, Prime Minister Gomes expressed his gratitude for Japan’s warm welcome and a desire to further strengthen cooperative relations with Japan.  
2. Following that, Prime Minister Abe welcomed the peaceful implementation of the legislative elections held on March 10 of this year, for which Japan provided support cooperating with UNDP, and expressed his expectation for the peaceful implementation of the presidential elections scheduled for this year. Also, Prime Minister Abe announced Japan’s intention to support Guinea-Bissau in its effort to improve food security. In response, Prime Minister Gomes explained current political situation and expressed his expectation for strengthening relations between the two countries and investment from Japanese companies. 
3. The two leaders also exchanged views regarding cooperation in the international arena, including UN Security Council reform, and the North Korea situation.