Meeting between Mr. Katsuya Okada, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Mr. Mohammad Asif Rahimi, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

March 3, 2010
Japanese

Mr. Katsuya Okada, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a meeting with Mr. Mohammad Asif Rahimi, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, who is currently visiting Japan, on March 3 (Wed) for approximately thirty minutes. The outline of the meeting is as follows.

Minister Okada began by congratulating Minister Rahimi for his assumption of office, and stated that assistance for Afghanistan was an important issue for the Hatoyama Administration.
In response, Minister Rahimi expressed gratitude on behalf of the Government and people of Afghanistan for Japan's assistance over the past eight years, as well as Japan’s new assistance package to Afghanistan. He stated that agriculture was extremely important for stability and economic development in Afghanistan, as well as for promoting reconciliation and reintegration programs. He also expressed his expectation that Japan would continue to provide support.
Minister Okada said that he expected the Government of Afghanistan to make swift progress regarding the issues of security and corruption, as well as the promotion of the reintegration program that President Hamid Karzai announced at the recent London Conference on Afghanistan. He expressed his awareness that agriculture was the largest industry for the development of Afghanistan and a source of employment as well. He also said that Japan would continue providing agricultural assistance, and that Japan was considering the expansion of assistance for the improvement of rice growing technology that is currently being conducted in eastern Afghanistan into north and northeast Afghanistan. Minister Okada further reiterated that consideration should be paid for ensuring the safety of Japanese aid personnel.
In response, Minister Rahimi said that the Government of Afghanistan was doing everything it can to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens in Afghanistan.

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