Press Releases
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Abe Meets with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Honduras
On March 24, commencing at 3:30 p.m.for approximately 30 minutes, Dr. Toshiko Abe, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a meeting with H.E. Ms. María Dolores Agüero, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Honduras, who is visiting Japan to attend the Fifth World Assembly for Women (WAW!) and Women 20 (W20). The overview of the meeting is as follows.
1. In her opening remarks, State Minister Abe welcomed Minister Agüero’s visit to Japan for the first time. State Minister Abe stated she was pleased that, on this day, they could sign the memorandum on the establishment of a policy consultation mechanism, a sign of their strengthening bilateral relationship. In response, Minister Agüero expressed appreciation for the invitation to make it possible her first visit to Japan and to learn enriched culture.
2. State Minister Abe stated that 2020 was commemorating 85th years of the diplomatic relationship between Japan and Honduras, and as Japan was aware of that Honduras would take presidency of SICA in the first half of next year, she expected further activation of not only Honduras relationship, but also Japan-SICA relationship. In response, Minister Agüero also expressed her interests to strengthen those relationships in the occation.
3. The two ministers exchanged views regarding issues in the international arena, such as the North Korea situation as well as United Nations Security Council reform, and shared the view that the two countries would deepen their cooperative relationship.
[Reference] Central American Integration System (SICA)
- An organization established in 1991 by the Tegucigalpa Protocol to promote socioeconomic integration of the Central American region in order to achieve peace, freedom, democracy, and development.
- Eight member states (El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, and Belize)
- The presidency rotates among the eight member states every six months. In 2019, Guatemala holds the presidency in the first six months and El Salvador will hold in the last six months.