Japan-Cuba Relations
Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida Meets with the President of the Cuba - Japan Parliamentary Friendship League
On Thursday, April 30, Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs, who is visiting the Republic of Cuba, held a meeting with Dr. Carlos Manuel Gutierrez Calzado, President of the Cuba - Japan Parliamentary Friendship League. The overview of the meeting is as follows.
1. Minister Kishida stated that he is pleased to be able to visit Cuba as the first Japanese foreign minister, and expressed his expectation that this visit be an opportunity for elevating the bilateral relationship to the next level. Minister Kishida also expressed his gratitude for President Gutierrez’s efforts to strengthen the relationship between the two countries, as President of the Cuba-Japan Parliamentary Friendship League.
2. In response, President Gutierrez noted that he sincerely welcomes Minister Kishida’s visit to Cuba, and highly appreciates an interview article in which Minister Kishida stated that he would like to elevate the relationship between the two countries to an even higher level.
3. Given that President Gutierrez also serves as President of BioCubaFarma, a corporate group in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, Minister Kishida stated that the Japanese companies visiting Cuba in conjunction with his visit include companies that are interested in the medical field. Minister Kishida expressed hope that President Gutierrez will cooperate on strengthening the two countries’ economic relationship. Minister Kishida stated that the friendly relationship between the two countries has the potential to develop and he expressed hope that President Gutierrez would serve as an intermediary for that.