Press Releases
Japan-Malawi Foreign Ministers' Working Dinner
August 24, 2024
On August 24, commencing at 7:45 p.m. (for approximately 80 minutes), Ms. KAMIKAWA Yoko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a working dinner with Hon. Nancy Tembo, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Malawi. The overview is as follows:
- Introduction
- At the outset, Minister Kamikawa stated that she was very pleased to welcome Minister Tembo to Japan on the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Malawi. Minister Kamikawa then introduced the fact that the cumulative number of JICA volunteers (JOCVs) who have been dispatched to Malawi is the largest in the world, and stated that the two countries share fundamental values and principles such as the rule of law and that she would like to strengthen cooperation with Malawi to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order and to ensure human dignity, including "Women, Peace, and Security (WPS)."
- In response, Minister Tembo expressed her appreciation for Japan’s assistance such as human resource development and mentioned the contributions of JOCVs to addressing Malawi's development challenges and fostering mutual understanding. Minister Tembo also expressed her intention to collaborate closely with Minister Kamikawa to further strengthen the robust friendship between Japan and Malawi and pointed out the importance of the rule of law, democracy and WPS.
- Bilateral Relations
- Minister Kamikawa conveyed Japan’s decision to provide food assistance through the World Food Programme (WFP) in response to the severe food insecurity that Malawi is facing. Minister Kamikawa also conveyed Japan’s intention to continue contribution to Malawi’s economic development through such initiatives as enhancing regional connectivity by supporting the renovation of main roads in Malawi’s capital, improving power infrastructure, and fostering human resources in such fields as mining. In response, Minister Tembo expressed her appreciation for Japan’s quality development cooperation over more than 50 years in a wide range of fields, including agriculture, education, health, and power infrastructure.
- Minister Kamikawa introduced the CSR activities of Japanese companies operating in Malawi and expressed her expectations for a better business environment in Malawi to encourage Japanese companies to expand trade and investment in the country. In response, Minister Tembo conveyed her expectations for further investment by Japanese companies in Malawi and also expressed her expectations for Japan’s human resource development assistance in the mining sector, referring to the potential of mineral resources.
- Cooperation in the International Arena
The two ministers also exchanged views on various regional and international issues, and confirmed that the two countries would continue to work together on the situation in Ukraine and East Asia such as dealing with North Korea including the abductions issue, strengthening the functions of the UN, including UNSC reform, nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and WPS.