Press Releases
Meeting between Foreign Minister MOTEGI and H.E. Mr. Ville Skinnari, Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Finland
September 3, 2021
On September 3, commencing at 2 p.m. for 30 minutes, Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Ville Skinnari, Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Finland, who is visiting Japan to attend the Tokyo Paralympic Games. The overview of the meeting is as follows.
- At the outset, Minister Motegi stated that he was pleased to be able to meet Minister Skinnari, who has experience working in Japan and has served as the Chairperson of the Finland-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group. Minister Motegi also expressed his willingness to further strengthen bilateral relations with Finland, who shares the same fundamental values with Japan, and to promote cooperation with Finland on regional affairs as well as in international fora. In response, Minister Skinnari stated he is delighted to participate in the Tokyo Paralympic Games despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and expressed his intention to further strengthen relations with Japan as a like-minded country in a wide range of fields.
- Both ministers confirmed the importance of coordination for ensuring the equitable provision of vaccines, while touching on the outcomes of the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) Summit held in June. The two ministers also welcomed progress in bilateral cooperation in digital and cyber fields. In addition, Minister Motegi requested Finland’s cooperation on lifting the EU’s import restrictions on Japanese food products.
- Both ministers exchanged views on international trade and Indo-Pacific regional affairs, concurred on the importance of realizing a free and open international order based on the rule of law in various areas including trade and digitalization, and confirmed that Japan and Finland will further strengthen cooperation to that end.