Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Inauguration of H.E. Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor, President of the Republic of Ghana, as Chair of the African Union (AU)

January 30, 2007

Japan congratulates Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor, President of the Republic of Ghana, on his inauguration of Chair of the African Union (AU) in the eighth Ordinary Session (Summit Meeting) of the Assembly of the AU, which has been held since January 29 (Mon).
With Ghana, a stable democratic state which has been actively contributing to the regional peace and stability, as the central figure, Japan expects that the AU will further exert strong leadership for peace and prosperity in Africa in the future.
Japan will closely cooperate with the AU to provide active support for the consolidation of peace and development in Africa on the basis of the TICAD (Tokyo International Conference on African Development) process. Japan also intends to deepen cooperative relationship with Africa to solve various issues in the international community.

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