Courtesy Call from Vice President Raquel Peña Rodríguez of the Dominican Republic (Summary)
On April 4, commencing at 6:10 pm for approximately 25 minutes, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, received a courtesy call from H. E. Ms. Raquel Peña Rodríguez, Vice President of the Dominican Republic, during her working visit to Japan. The overview of the courtesy call is as follows.
1. At the outset, Prime Minister Kishida welcomed the visit of Vice President Peña to Japan and mentioned that the Dominican Republic is an important partner and that he would like to further develop the relationship, which will mark the 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations next year. In response, Vice President Peña expressed her gratitude for the warm hospitality and her desire to develop even more bilateral relations with Japan, an important partner, in various fields in the future, and also presented an invitation letter from President Abinader to Prime Minister Kishida to visit the Dominican Republic.
2. Prime Minister Kishida expressed his appreciation for the efforts of the current administration of President Abinader regarding the Japanese community in the Dominican Republic, and requested their continued support. Prime Minister Kishida also stated that Japan has decided to provide support for the project to improve Integrated Solid Waste Management. Vice President Peña expressed her willingness to continue to give due consideration to the Japanese community, which is contributing also to the development of the Dominican Republic, and expressed her profound appreciation for Japan's assistance.
3. Prime Minister Kishida commended the efforts of the Alliance for Development in Democracy, a regional cooperation framework in which the Dominican Republic participates, and his desire to cooperate with the Dominican Republic on the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Partnership (FOIP)” cooperation that Japan is promoting. Vice President Peña expressed Dominican Republic’s sympathy for the FOIP and welcomed the initiative. In addition, Vice President Peña explained the serious situation in Haiti and requested the cooperation of the international community, including Japan. In response, Prime Minister Kishida stated that Japan shares the concern over the situation in Haiti and would like to promote cooperation in international fora including at the UN Security Council.
4. The two sides exchanged views on regional situations including East Asia, Ukraine, and Haiti, as well as on the response to North Korea, along with its nuclear and missile activities, as well as the abduction issue, and agreed to work together on such international issues.
