Press Releases
Telephone Conversation Between the Foreign Minister of Japan and Ukraine
On July 24, commencing from 3:30 p.m. for approximately 20 minutes, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida spoke by telephone with H.E. Mr. Pavlo Anatoliyovych KLIMKIN, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. The overview of this telephone conversation is as follows.
1. Foreign Minister Kishida started the conversation by expressing his gratitude for receiving the opportunity to engage in a fruitful foreign ministers’ meeting on July 17, and stated that he was deeply saddened and shocked by the news of a Malaysia Airlines aircraft being shot down soon after that. Foreign Minister Kishida then conveyed his stance that the persons involved in this incident must bear a grave responsibility.
2. Foreign Minister Kishida pointed out that the most important thing at the current stage is to probe into the truth regarding the incident of the Malaysia Airlines aircraft being shot down. In response, Foreign Minister Klimkin expressed his appreciation for the various forms of support from Japan to date, and stated that he hopes that Japan will continue to care about the situation in Ukraine. In regard to the shot-down Malaysia Airlines aircraft, Foreign Minister Klimkin said that the government of Ukraine is doing its utmost to investigate the causes of this incident in an exhaustive and transparent manner. The two foreign ministers then exchanged opinions concerning the current status of the incident.
3. The two foreign ministers agreed to continue to maintain close contact with each other with a view to resolving issues in Ukraine, including the shooting down of the Malaysia Airlines aircraft.