Japan-Sierra Leone Relations
Japan-Sierra Leone Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
August 31, 2019
On August 31, for about 15 minutes commencing at 9:05 a.m., Mr. Taro Kono, Minister for Foreign Affairs, held a Foreign Ministers’ meeting with Hon. Mrs. Nabeela Farida Tunis, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Republic of Sierra Leone. The overview of the meeting is as follows. Minister Tunis, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, participated in the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) which was held from August 28 to 30.
- At the outset, Minister Kono stated, “I welcome Minister Tunis’ first visit to Japan and congratulate again Your Excellency’s inauguration as Foreign Minister. By cooperating with Your Excellency, and through the process of TICAD7, Japan would like to strengthen the bilateral relations.” In response, Minister Tunis stated, “I am grateful for your warm hospitality at TICAD7. I extend my congratulations on the successful conclusion of TICAD7. To further strengthen our bilateral ties, I would like to work closely with Your Excellency.”
- Following that, Minister Kono commended the efforts by Sierra Leone to overcome hardships such as civil war and Ebola outbreaks and to achieve peace and stability through democratic elections. Minister Kono also expressed Japan’s intent to cooperate in nation-building and human resources development, in addition to strengthening the business relationship as emphasized in TICAD7. Furthermore, Minister Kono stated that he is pleased with the signing of Japan-Sierra Leone Technical Cooperation Agreement, and looks forward to deepening the cooperation. In response, Minster Tunis stated that Sierra Leone would like to strengthen cooperative relations with Japan in fields such as energy, education, and health. Minister Tunis also expressed willingness to improve further the business environment in Sierra Leone in order to support Japanese companies entering Sierra Leone.
- The two ministers also exchanged views regarding cooperation in the international arena.