[Provisional translation]
On April 22, commencing at around 3:10 p.m., Ms. TAKAICHI Sanae, Prime Minister of Japan, held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Jakov Milatović, President of Montenegro, who is visiting Japan，for approximately 25 minutes.
- At the outset, Prime Minister TAKAICHI welcomed President Milatović on the occasion of his first visit to Japan in this commemorative year marking the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. She also stated that Japan will continue to support Montenegro’s nation-building efforts and its EU accession under the “Western Balkans Cooperation Initiative”, which was announced by then Prime Minister Abe. In response, President Milatović stated that the two countries share values such as democracy and the rule of law and announced the opening of the Montenegrin Embassy in Japan for further enhancement of the bilateral relations, expressing his gratitude for the continued Japanese support through “Western Balkans Cooperation Initiative”.
- Prime Minister TAKAICHI further stated that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific are closely linked, and expressed Japan’s desire to cooperate even more closely with Montenegro both bilaterally and in international fora. The two leaders concurred to further strengthen bilateral relations, including in the economic field.
- In addition, the two leaders exchanged views on the situation in the Indo-Pacific, including their policies toward North Korea such as on the nuclear and missile issues and the abductions issue, as well as the situations in Ukraine as well as the Middle East, and concurred to cooperate closely in responding to regional affairs.