Press Releases
Courtesy Call on Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Eri by the students participating in the “MIRAI” programme
On 17 February, commencing at 10:00 a.m. for approximately 30 minutes, Ms. ERI Arfiya, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, received a courtesy call from a group of students from the Western Balkans who are visiting Japan under the Peacebuilding Programme of the MIRAI (Mutual-understanding, Intellectual Relations and Academic Exchange Initiative). The visit was conducted as part of Japan’s “Western Balkans Cooperation Initiative”. The overview of the meeting is as follows:
- Parliamentary Vice-Minister ERI welcomed the group and expressed her expectation that the university and graduate students from the Western Balkans, who had visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and other sites would build bonds that transcend borders and various challenges, thereby shaping the future together as friends of Japan.
- The students expressed their gratitude for the invitation and shared their impressions of their visit to Japan. They asked questions about the prospect forJapan's “Western Balkans Cooperation Initiative and how to further promote the regional reconciliation people-to-people exchanges.
(Reference1) Western Balkans Cooperation Initiative
The Western Balkans Cooperation Initiative is a Japan-led initiative aimed at supporting socio-economic reforms in the Western Balkan countries aspiring to European Union Accession and promoting cooperation within the Western Balkan region. It was announced in January 2018 during the visit of the then Prime Minister ABE Shinzo to the region.
(Reference2) Japan Friendship Ties Program “MIRAI” (Mutual understanding, Intellectual Relations and Academic Exchange Initiative)
This program invites young talents who will become future leaders in Europe, grouped by theme, with the aim of fostering deep mutual understanding and the development of friendly relations between Japan and Europe over the long term. In addition to the program targeting the Western Balkan countries under the theme of “Peacebuilding,” several other programs are being implemented.