Japan-Iceland Relations
Meeting between Prime Minister Abe and President of the Republic of Iceland Jóhannesson
(Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office)
(Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office)
On October 23, commencing at 9:40a.m. for approximately 10 minutes, Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, held a meeting with Mr. Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, President of the Republic of Iceland. The overview of the meeting is as follows. The meeting was also attended by Mr. Naoki Okada, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, Mr. Eiichi Hasegawa, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, and others from the Japanese side, and by Ms. Elín Flygenring, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Iceland to Japan and Mr. Örnólfur Óli Thorsson, Secretary General of the Presidential Office, from the Icelandic side.
1. Prime Minister Abe welcomed President Jóhannesson’s visit to Japan and stated, ‘Iceland is Japan’s important partner sharing with us fundamental values such as freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.’ President Jóhannesson stated, ‘On behalf of the people of Iceland, I would like to express congratulations for the enthronement of the Emperor and it was my honour to be present at the Enthronement Ceremony.’
2. Regarding the bilateral relations, Prime Minister Abe expressed his delight for the progress of the Japan-Iceland cooperation in a wide range of areas, and stated his willingness to actively cooperate with Iceland as an observer at the Arctic Council, where Iceland holds presidency. In response, President Jóhannesson stated that Iceland shares with Japan values such as human rights and security and that the two countries have been cooperating in addressing global issues such as climate change. The President welcomed the progress of the bilateral dialogue concerning the sustainable use of the Arctic and maritime resources. The President also stated that Japanese is the second most popular language to be learned in Iceland, and that its popularity is expected to cause positive influence on the bilateral relations. In addition, the President expressed his willingness to strengthen the bilateral cooperation in various areas including the economy.
3. Prime Minister Abe requested understanding and cooperation towards the early resolution of the abductions issue.