Japan-Morocco Summit Meeting

On September 28, commencing at 8:35 a.m. for approximately 15 minutes, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan held a Japan-Morocco summit meeting with H .E .Mr. Aziz Akhannouch, Head of Government of the Kingdom of Morocco, who is visiting Japan to attend the state funeral for former Prime Minister ABE Shinzo. The overview of the meeting is as follows.

1. At the outset, Prime Minister Kishida expressed his gratitude to the attendance to the state funeral and expressed his hope to further strengthen the relationship between the two countries, given the longstanding excellent relations of both countries based on the friendship between the Japanese Imperial Family and the Moroccan Royal Family. In response, Head of Government Akhannouch expressed his sincere condolences for the passing of former Prime Minister Abe, and stated that he would like to further strengthen the cooperative relationship in a wide range of fields that both countries have built over the years.

2. Prime Minister Kishida stated that he would expect a cooperation from Head of Government Akhannouch to further promote the expansion of Japanese companies into Morocco. In response, Head of Government Akhannouch stated that Japanese companies significantly contribute to the Moroccan economy and expressed his expectation for further investment by Japanese companies and the Moroccan government's willingness to support such investment.

3. In response to Head of Government Akhannouch's mentioning of Morocco's absence from TICAD 8, Prime Minister Kishida, expressing his regret about that, confirmed with Head of Government Akhannouch that the two countries will work together, including through future TICAD process.

4. Both leaders also exchanged views on international issues and confirmed that the two countries will continue to work closely together to address Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the resulting food security risks, as well as opaque and unfair development finance. Prime Minister Kishida expressed his hope for constructive actions by Morocco to ensure a stable supply of ammonium phosphate, and Head of Government Akhannouch expressed his willingness to cooperate in ensuring its stable supply.