Japan-Togo Relations
Meeting between State Minister for Foreign Affairs Sato and President Gnassingbe of Togo
August 30, 2019
On August 30, for about 20 minutes, from 10:05 a.m., in Yokohama, Mr. Masahisa Sato, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, held a meeting with H. E. Mr. Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe, President of the Republic of Togo. The overview of the meeting is as follows. President Gnassingbe is visiting Japan to participate in the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) held from August 28 to 30.
- At the outset, State Minister Sato stated, “I am honored to meet President Gnassingbe. I am grateful for Your Excellency’s participation in TICAD5, TICAD6, as well as TICAD7 and for the contribution that Your Excellency has made to the success of TICAD7.” In response, President Gnassingbe expressed that the President is honored to visit Japan, and that the President wishes to visit Japan again to attend the Imperial Enthronement Ceremony in October 2019. President Gnassingbe also stated that the President expects for the success of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and that he highly values efforts under TICAD.
- Following that, State Minister Sato stated that Togo’s initiatives for building a “port and harbor-based country” are important from the perspective of the West Africa “Growth Ring” which Japan supports, and that Japan intends to continue supporting the initiatives of Togo based on its geography, in particular the development of the Port Lome. In response, President Gnassingbe expressed his expectations for strengthening bilateral relations in the future.