Japan-Tunisia Relations
Courtesy Call on Head of Government MECHICHI of the Republic of Tunisia by Foreign Minister MOTEGI
December 9, 2020
On December 9th, commencing at 0:16 PM (local time, 8:16 PM December 9th Japan time) for approximately 30 minutes, Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs, paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. Hechem MECHICHI, Head of Government of the Republic of Tunisia, during his visit to Tunisia. The overview is as follows.
- At the outset, Minister Motegi congratulated H.E. Mr. Mechichi’s appointment for the Head of Government, stating that he is pleased to visit Tunisia, which has a long history, having prospered as a commercial city since before the Common Era, as the first visit to Africa under the Suga administration. In response, H.E. Mr. Mechichi welcomed Minister Motegi’s visit to Tunisia and stated that he would like to further develop the bilateral relationship following this visit.
- Minister Motegi stated that Japan has steadily developed bilateral relations with Tunisia, an important partner in the Middle East and Africa region. Minister Motegi also expressed his intention to continue contributing to the reforms for socio-economic stabilization, to which Tunisia attaches great importance. In response, H.E. Mr. Mechichi expressed his appreciation for Japan’s economic cooperation including recent assistance for tackling COVID-19, as well as his expectation for further cooperation with Japan in order to resolve various issues that Tunisia faces.
- Minister Motegi stressed the importance of “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” and H.E. Mr. Mechichi stated that he gives full support and agrees to it. In addition, Minister Motegi stated that Japan remains committed to firmly supporting development led by African countries themselves through TICAD process. They reaffirmed that they would work closely, taking TICAD 8 as an opportunity to show the path of Africa’s development with a view to post-COVID-19 era.