Japan-Comoros Summit Meeting (Summary)

[Provisional translation]

On May 21, commencing at 10:00 a.m. for approximately 30 minutes, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, held a summit meeting with H.E. Mr. Azali Assoumani, President of the Union of the Comoros, who is visiting Japan to attend the Outreach Meeting during the G7 Hiroshima Summit. The overview of the meeting is as follows.

1. At the outset, Prime Minister Kishida expressed his gratitude to President Azali for his attendance at the G7 Hiroshima Summit and stated that Japan is a "partner growing together" with Africa and that he had experienced first-hand the potential and possibilities of Africa during his recent visit to four African countries. In response, President Azari expressed his gratitude for Japan’s continued support for Africa, including the support for the African Union (AU)'s participation in the G20, and stated that he would like to cooperate with Japan as the AU Presidency.
2. Prime Minister Kishida stated that he had announced a new plan for the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) and expressed his desire to continue to cooperate with the Comoros. In response, President Azali expressed his support for the stability in the Indo-Pacific and his gratitude for Japan’s support, and expressed his expectations for further strengthening of bilateral relations.
3. Furthermore, the both sides exchanged views on the international situation, including the situation in Sudan and Ukraine as well as the North Korea issue, and confirmed that they would continue to work together to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law. Prime Minister Kishida also expressed his desire to continue to work closely with the Comoros, which holds the AU Presidency, in various fields, and they confirmed to deepen their cooperation together.