*28 "Silk Road Diplomacy"

The "Silk Road region" covers five Central Asian countries and three countries of the Caucasus. The "Eurasian diplomatic initiative," announced in 1997 by the then prime Minister Hashimoto, presented Japan's policy of actively seeking to develop closer ties with this region. The principal points of the initiative are as follows: (1) promotion of political dialogue to strengthen mutual confidence and understanding, (2) economic assistance for supporting regional prosperity and assistance for development of resources, and (3) support for promoting peace through nuclear non-proliferation, democratization, and stabilization.