Press Releases
Japan-Paraguay Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Working Dinner
March 15, 2024
On March 15, commencing at 6:35 p.m., for approximately 45 minutes, Ms. KAMIKAWA Yoko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Rubén Darío Ramírez Lezcano, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Paraguay, who is visiting Japan. After that, the two ministers held a working dinner for approximately 70 minutes. The overview is as follows. Following the meeting, the two ministers conducted a signing ceremony for the Memorandum of Cooperation in the Field of Diplomatic Training.
- At the outset, Minister Kamikawa welcomed Minister Ramirez’s visit to Japan and stated that Paraguay is a partner for Japan that shares values and principles such as freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and human rights, and that the two countries are in the same position on various occasions in the international arena. She expressed her desire to further deepen the friendly cooperation of more than 100 years between the two countries. She also stated that she was proud of successful activities of the Nikkei community in Paraguay and thanked the Paraguayan people in both the public and private sectors for receiving them. In response, Minister Ramirez stated that he was pleased to have an opportunity to visit an important friend of Paraguay, Japan, including its local areas, and that he hoped to make use of this visit to deepen bilateral relations in a wider range of areas, including political, economic, and development cooperation.
- Minister Ramirez expressed his appreciation for the development cooperation from Japan to date in a wide range of areas, including agriculture, education, health, and power and water infrastructure, and the two ministers shared the view that the two countries would carry out cooperation in new areas such as space and hydrogen. In particular, regarding the space sector, the two ministers welcomed the steady progress of the ongoing technical cooperation project in Paraguay and agreed to continue to promote cooperation in this area. Minister Kamikawa reiterated her welcome for Paraguay’s participation in the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo and expressed her desire to enhance economic ties with Paraguay with its favorable investment environment, which is the president pro-tempore of Mercosur in the first half of 2024. Minister Ramirez expressed his expectation that more Japanese companies will invest in Paraguay. The two ministers also expressed their hope that the Memorandum of Cooperation in the Field of Diplomatic Training, signed today, will promote people-to-people exchanges further.
- The two ministers exchanged views on regional affairs, including the situation in East Asia, the situation in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Russian aggression against Ukraine, and the situation in Israel and Palestine, as well as disarmament and non-proliferation. They shared the view that cooperation among like-minded countries which share values and principles is more important than ever to lead the international community toward cooperation without division or conflict. Minister Kamikawa also explained her impressions from her recent visit to Brazil and Panama in February as well as the "Diplomatic Initiative toward Latin America and the Caribbean" announced during the visit, expressing her desire to deepen dialogue and nurture a new partnership with Paraguay in areas of increasing importance to the international community. Minister Ramirez responded in favor of the idea. In addition, Minister Kamikawa mentioned her efforts of promoting WPS (Women, Peace and Security) as a major diplomatic initiative.
- During the meeting, Minister Kamikawa appreciated the message of sympathy from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay for the damage caused by the Noto Peninsula earthquake, and presented a Wajima lacquered ball-point pen while offering dishes made with ingredients from the Hokuriku region in hope for the recovery of the affected areas. Minister Ramirez expressed his gratitude for the heartfelt hospitality.