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Statement by Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, Mr. Minoru Tamba, at the 7th OSCE Ministerial Council in Oslo (3 December 1998)

Mr. Chairman, distinguished Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen,

      First of all, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation for inviting Japan to this Ministerial Council as a Partner for Cooperation.

      As Japan shares with the OSCE member states the fundamental values of democracy, respect for human rights, and the rule of law, and today's growing interdependence make security in Europe quite relevant to the peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, Japan intends to actively participate in the OSCE's activities, and make positive contributions.

Mr. Chairman,

      Today, I would like to focus my remarks to three essential points due to the time constraint.

(Former Yugoslavia)

      First, I wish to underline Japan's contributions to OSCE's endeavors in the former Yugoslavia. Japan has taken an active part in extending humanitarian assistance to the refugees and displaced persons in Kosovo. In August, Japan extended approximately 2.3 million U.S. dollars in emergency grant aid to the UNHCR and the International Committee of the Red Cross. And in October, Japan decided on an additional assistance totaling approximately 7.3 million U.S. dollars, to be made available through international organizations. In the future, Japan is prepared to extend financial contribution to the Kosovo Verification Mission.

      On Bosnia and Herzegovina, Japan has been actively involved, as a member of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council, in joint endeavors to address this issue. For the elections held in 1996 and 1997, Japan provided a total of 65 election supervisors and observers as well as financial support amounting to 3.5 million U.S. dollars.
Furthermore, for the election held this September, Japan dispatched 30 election supervisors and observers and provided 1 million U.S. dollars of financial support to cover the cost of printing ballots and related expenses.
I am pleased to note that these contributions had a meaningful role to play in bringing stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and advancing forward the peace implementation process.

(Japan's foreign policy toward Central Asia)

      Secondly, I wish to explain briefly Japan's undertakings in Central Asia, where the OSCE intends to play an increasingly active role. Japan is advancing its relations with this region through "silk road diplomacy", which consists of the following three pillars: (a) dialogue aimed at enhancing mutual understanding; (b) economic cooperation aimed at fostering prosperity; and (c) cooperation to build peace.

      In this framework, Japan has provided financial assistance with particular emphasis on infrastructure development, as well as technical cooperation to facilitate the transition process to the market economy. Japan also dispatched personnel to United Nations agencies and provided assistance to refugees through international organizations, and is planning to host a "Seminar on Democracy and Good Governance for Tajikistan" next year by bringing together officials from the Tajikistan government and members of the opposition.

      These initiatives are mutually complementary with OSCE's activities and contribute to the stability of this region which is vital to the stability of entire Eurasian Continent.

(Japan's endeavors for multilateral security dialogue in the Asia-Pacific region)

      Thirdly, I wish to touch on Japan's perspective on multilateral security dialogue in the Asia-Pacific region, where the ASEAN Regional Forum, or the ARF, is the most notable example. While the security environment in the Asia-Pacific region is not necessarily the same as that in Europe, the OSCE has much to suggest in the quest for post-Cold War order. In this context, Japan will strive to create opportunities for ARF member countries to learn from the experiences and achievements of the OSCE, and make the best use of them in the ARF.

(Japan's status in the OSCE)

Mr. Chairman,

      Japan intends to make appropriate contribution to the activities of OSCE commensurate with Japan's status of partner for cooperation. In this connection, I hope that Japan continues to be accorded sufficient access to OSCE's various activities including participation in the Security Model Council, so that Japan will be able to contribute to the OSCE's activities in a more active and appropriate way.

(Concluding remarks)

      In closing, let me express my sincere respect for Chairman Geremek for his great enthusiasm and devotion to the development of the OSCE. May I also express my sincere wish that the OSCE will achieve even further progress next year under the eminent leadership of Foreign Minister Vollebaek of Norway.

Thank you very much.

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