Press Releases
Courtesy Call on Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs ERI by the government officials from the Balkan region
March 6, 2026
On March 6, commencing at 16:00 p.m. for approximately 30 minutes, Ms. ERI Arfiya, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, received a courtesy call from a group of government officials from the Western Balkans and the Republic of Slovenia, who are visiting Japan. 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 hope that, building on the experience gained through this program, cooperation with the Western Balkan countries and the Republic of Slovenia, friends of Japan, would further deepen. She also exchanged views with the invitees, who had observed the digital businesses of prominent Japanese companies as well as municipal digital-transformation (DX) initiatives in Osaka, on the way forward of digital cooperation in various fields, including the economy.
- In response, the participants expressed their gratitude for the invitation and shared their impressions of their visit to Japan. They asked questions about the prospect for Japan's “Western Balkans Cooperation Initiative” and how to further promote digital transformation as well as deepen collaboration with Japan in a wide range of fields beyond digital.
(Reference) 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.