Japan-Mauritania Foreign Ministerial Talks and Dinner

August 10, 2007

On August 9 (Thu) for about 40 minutes from 18:00, Mr. Taro Aso, Minister for Foreign Affairs, had foreign ministerial talks and then dinner at Iikura House with Mr. Mohamed Saleck Ould Mohamed Lemine, Minister of Foreign Affairs & Cooperation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, who is now visiting Japan.
Prior to the talks, the Exchange of Notes for the Project for Constructing Basic Primary and Secondary Classrooms in the Cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou were signed in the presence of the two ministers.

At the foreign ministerial talks, views were exchanged on bilateral relations. Mr. Aso commended Mauritania for its efforts for consolidation of democracy, and said that he welcomed active mutual visits of VIPs between the two countries and that Japan would continue to extend assistance centering on such fields as education, water supply and food aid. In terms of the Notes exchanged, Mr. Aso emphasized the importance of education in development, referring to the Japanese Government in the Meiji Era, which allocated a priority to the budget for education.
In response, Mr. Lemine expressed gratitude for Japan’s assistance; Japan was Mauritania’s most important partner and Mauritania expected support from Japan and other partners in making efficient use of the country’s own national resources toward achieving good governance. He also requested Japan to establish its embassy in Mauritania to further strengthen bilateral relations.
During the dinner, the two foreign ministers exchanged views on such matters as Mauritania’s candidacy for nonpermanent membership of the United Nations, desertification of Mauritania, environmental issues such as water pollution and the adverse effect on fishery resources caused by offshore development of oil and gas, and the importance of IT education.

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