Countries & Regions

On June 2, commencing at 6:05 P.M. for around 15 minutes, Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a meeting in Yokohama with Mr. Andris Piebalgs, European Commissioner for Development, who is visiting Japan. The overview of the meeting is as follows.

1. Minister Kishida welcomed the visit of Mr. Piebalgs from the European Union (EU) that has a significant presence in the field of development cooperation to Africa, and expressed his appreciation for sharing the experience and knowledge of the EU on development policy at the Fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V). In response, Commissioner Piebalgs highly evaluated the TICAD V, stressed the importance of the TICAD process for the economic development in Africa, and expressed his intention to continue cooperation between the EU and Japan.
2. Minister Kishida stated that it is meaningful to deepen understanding on respective development policy and enhance cooperation with the EU as the biggest donor in the world (*including ODA budgets of the EU member states). With regard to the post-2015 development agenda, he noted that Japan would like to continue collaboration with the EU toward the establishment of an effective development framework based on human security. In response, Commissioner Piebalgs explained the ongoing discussion on the post-2015 development agenda and stated that he would like to continue cooperation with Japan at the United Nations.
3. Minister Kishida and Commissioner Piebalgs exchanged views on support to Somalia, Djibouti, and Myanmar and concurred on the need to further strengthen coordination between Japan and the EU.