Japan-Serbia Summit Meeting
On September 28, starting from 3:35 p.m. for approximately 15 minutes Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan had a summit meeting with H.E. Ms. Ana Brnabic, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, who is visiting Japan to attend the state funeral for the former Prime Minister ABE Shinzo.
1. At the outset, Prime Minister Kishida expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Brnabic for the participation in the state funeral of the former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and congratulated her on the reappointment as the Prime Minister of Serbia. Prime Minister Kishida also stated his wish to deepen cooperation in further strengthening the bilateral relations, as this year marks the 140th anniversary of the friendship between Japan and Serbia. In response, Prime Minister Brnabic mentioned that former Prime Minister Abe, being a true friend of Serbia, had greatly contributed to closer Japan-Serbia relations, referring to his visit to Serbia in 2018 as the first visit of Prime Minister of Japan in 31 years. Prime Minister Brnabic also reiterated her interest to work together with Prime Minister Kishida to develop the diplomatic assets left by the former Prime Minister Abe.
2. Prime Minister Kishida stressed the importance of a united response by the international community in the wake of Russia's aggression against Ukraine that is threatening the very foundations of the international order. Prime Minister Kishida also stated that Japan appreciates Serbia's efforts to support Ukraine in the context of UN arena as well as its assistance to evacuees from Ukraine, and that he would like to cooperate with Serbia in addressing the current issue. In response, Prime Minister Brnabic, agreeing on the importance of unity among the international community amidst the threat to the foundation of the international order, expressed her desire to deepen cooperation with Japan.
3. Prime Minister Kishida reiterated his appreciation of Serbia's various efforts and his hope for continued cooperation between the two countries.
