Courtesy Call on H.E. Mr. Taro Aso, Prime Minister of Japan, by H.E. Mr. Hoshyar Zebari, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq

June 19, 2009

On June 19 (Fri) starting at 4:20 PM, H.E. Mr. Taro Aso, Prime Minister of Japan, held a twenty minute long meeting with H.E. Mr. Hoshyar Zebari, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq, who is visiting Japan as a guest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the Prime Minister's office. An outline of the meeting is as follows.

1. Welcoming discussion with Minister Zebari, Prime Minister Aso expressed his happiness at meeting again with Minister Zebari and asked whether the improvement in security had brought about thriving business in Iraq. In response, Minister Zebari noted that the security situation has improved dramatically since Prime Minister Aso visited Iraq as Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan. He also expressed his appreciation towards the contributions of the Japan Self-Defense Forces in the stabilization of Iraq and commented that the people of Iraq will not forget the assistance provided by the people and the Government of Japan.
2. Minister Zebari expressed stated that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and taking this opportunity, he would like to see Japan's companies move onto Iraq without losing out to other countries. In response, Prime Minister Aso stated that Japanese companies are sensitive to the security situation, however, they are famous for keeping to their decision once made, after careful examination.
3. Minister Zebari stated that the campaigns for the parliamentary election to be held in January 2010 would transcend ethnicity and sectarianism and, that would strengthen the sense of unity within Iraq.
4. They also exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East and other issues.