Telephone Conversation Between the Foreign Ministers of Japan and France

June 17, 2010
Japanese

Mr. Katsuya Okada, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a telephone conversation with H.E. Mr. Bernard Kouchner, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of France, for about 15 minutes starting from just after 5:00 p.m. on June 17 (Thu). The overview of the conversation is as follows.

At the outset, Minister Okada expressed his greetings on the occasion of his reappointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs, and stated that he would continue to make efforts for furthering Japan-France relations and for the resolution of international challenges. Minister Kouchner congratulated him on his reappointment.
Concerning the situation in North Korea, Minister Okada stated that North Korea’s action of sinking the ROK navy ship was a threat to the peace and stability of the region and could not be condoned. He also said that Japan staunchly supported the ROK, that it was important for the UN Security Council to send a clear message to North Korea holding it accountable, and that Japan would like to cooperate with France on this issue as well. In response, Minister Kouchner stated that he had swiftly issued a statement condemning North Korea regarding the incident of the sinking of the ROK navy ship and that France would continue to closely cooperate with both Japan and the ROK through the United Nations.
Concerning the situation in Afghanistan, Minister Okada reported that he had just paid a courtesy call to H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, who was visiting Japan. He also said that the Kabul Conference which will be held next month must be brought to a successful conclusion, and that Japan would like to cooperate with France to this end.
Minister Kouchner concurred with Minister Okada’s statements, and proposed a joint project between Japan and France for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. The two countries will consider the possibility of such a project in the future.
Lastly, the two ministers agreed to coordinate with each other to continue to hold frequent opportunities for dialogue in the future in order to further discussions on various bilateral and international issues.

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