On May 7, commencing from 5:25 p.m. for around 20 minutes, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe received a courtesy call from H.E. Mr. Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the French Republic. The overview of the meeting is as follows.

1. Prime Minister Abe once again expressed appreciation for the cooperation Japan received from France when Japanese citizens were taken hostage in Algeria, and said he wants to emphasize the following three points as outcomes when H.E. Mr. Francois Hollande, President of the French Republic, pays a state visit to Japan, which is scheduled for early June.
   
   (1) Solidarity as countries that share universal values: Cooperation toward a stable world order, beginning with Asia, which is a growth center in the world but also possesses various destabilizing factors.
   
   (2) Achieving economic growth: Cooperation that utilizes the advanced technologies of both Japan and France so that both countries can reap the benefits of growth strategies. (In connection with this, Prime Minister Abe noted that a Japanese-French consortium has secured exclusive negotiating rights for a nuclear power plant project in Turkey).
   
   (3) Strengthening the capacity for cultural dissemination: Japan and France are both supported by long traditions, and will pursue cooperation in order to further enhance their respective cultural brand strengths.
   
   
2. In response, Minister Fabius said he was for Prime Minister Abe's ideas, and in particular agreed with Prime Minister Abe's view regarding cooperation based on shared values. Furthermore, Minister Fabius touched on areas of cooperation such as the economy, energy and personnel exchanges. He also explained France's thoughts regarding President Hollande's visit to Japan.