Countries & Regions

On June 1, for about 15 minutes from 3:25 pm, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida had a meeting with H.E. Mr. Magdi Hassan Yassin, the State Minister for Finance and National Economy of the Republic of the Sudan, in Yokohama. The following is the gist of the meeting. Minister Yassin is visiting Japan to participate in the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V) held from June 1 to June 3.

1. At the beginning of the meeting, Foreign Minister Kishida welcomed the first visit of Minister Yassin to Japan and expressed his hope for development both in Africa and Japan in the wake of TICAD V, which marks the 20th anniversary of TICAD process. He then stated that Sudan’s peace and stability is important for the overall stability in Africa, and expressed his respect towards Sudan’s reconstruction and development efforts after the conflict. In response, Minister Yassin expressed his sincere gratitude for Japan’s assistance to Sudan since its independence and also for Japan’s support for peace negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan.
2. Minister Yassin explained that the agreement between Sudan and South Sudan which had reached last September has been on its way towards the implementation since this March, and that efforts are being made despite many outstanding issues. Minister Yassin also expressed his hopes for Japan’s cooperation in rebuilding the Sudan’s economy and for the Japanese private sector to enter into the Sudan market.
3. In response, Foreign Minister Kishida said that Japan expects Sudan to ensure the implementation of the agreement between Sudan and South Sudan and to solve other outstanding issues at an early date, adding that Japan will continue to provide strong support for peace and stability in Sudan. Minister Kishida further expressed that, in order to help Sudan assume a constructive role as a stabilizing force in the region, Japan will support Sudan to realize a sustainable development. He also stated that the decision was made to dispatch JICA experts to Sudan’s trade ministry to boost the economic relations between Sudan and Japan.
4. In addition, they exchanged opinions concerning cooperation in the international arena, including the development in Africa.