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[Provisional Translation]

On November 14 (local time), Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, during his visit to Istanbul in the Republic of Turkey, said the following about the terrorist attacks that occurred in France the previous night.

“I am in great shock and express great indignation at the terrorist attacks in Paris, France. I express my sincere condolences to all the victims, and extend my heartfelt sympathies to the injured as well as to the families. Japan, as a nation which shares the same values as France, stands together with the people of France at this difficult time and expresses our sincere solidarity with them. Terrorism should never be tolerated for any reason and we resolutely condemn it. In close cooperation with France and the international community, Japan will continue in its efforts to prevent terrorism. Also, we will take anti-terrorism measures within our country with a stronger sense of security, and protect the safety of Japanese citizens who are overseas.”

In the morning, the Prime Minister attended the ceremony for the renewal of the Baltalimani Japanese Garden, and the Japan-Turkey Business Forum.

In the afternoon, Prime Minister Abe attended a welcome luncheon hosted by H.E. Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey, at Dolmabahçe Palace, and then the two leaders held a joint press announcement.

The Prime Minister said in his address at the business forum,

“Firstly, I want to begin by expressing my sincere condolences to all the victims, and extending my heartfelt sympathies to the injured as well as to the families. Terrorism should never be tolerated for any reason and we resolutely condemn it. In cooperation with Turkey, France and the international community, Japan will continue to make maximum efforts to prevent terrorism. Japan stands together with the people of France at this difficult time and expresses our sincere solidarity with them.

DEIK President Vardan , JETRO Chairman Ishige , ladies and gentlemen, it has been approximately two years since I last visited Turkey. I am extremely pleased that the opportunity presented by this visit is being used to hold a business forum that brings together Japanese and Turkish business leaders under one roof.

Whenever I visit other countries, many business leaders host forums. On this occasion as well, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone involved from Japan and Turkey in holding such a grand forum here in Turkey.

Turkey aims to be one of the top ten global economies by 2023. It is a strong engine for regional economic growth. Under the leadership of President Erdogan, Turkey continues to see stable economic growth, and trade and investment relations between Japan and Turkey are expanding steadily.

Turkey boasts a population of approximately 78 million people and a per capita GDP of over 10,000 dollars. Furthermore, Turkey’s domestic market features robust consumption, and serves as a gateway to markets in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, making it an extremely attractive country.

Meanwhile, Japanese companies are showing an increased interest in Turkey, including those companies represented here today. In addition to the trading, automotive, and machinery companies that have already entered Turkey up to this point, a variety of other Japanese companies are increasingly expanding into Turkey from industries such as mass communications, finance and food products.

Japanese companies have also been actively cooperating with symbolic Turkish mega infrastructure projects, such as the Sinop Nuclear Power Plant and Izmit Bay Bridge.

I am sure that Japanese companies and their technologies will contribute greatly to many infrastructure projects, including those for bridges, power plants, hospitals, high-speed railways, and communications satellites, as we move toward 2023, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey.

However, we cannot yet say that we are realizing the full potential of economic relations between Japan and Turkey. In the talks I held with President Erdogan yesterday, we shared the view that we would dramatically improve bilateral trade and investment relations.

The Government of Japan will strongly support the activities of companies in both our countries through initiatives such as the Japan-Turkey EPA and social security agreements that are currently being negotiated.

When I visited Turkey two years ago, I attended the opening ceremony of the Marmaray Project, a 150-year old dream in Turkey that connects the two continents of Europe and Asia. To this day, riding on the first train with President Erdogan remains an unforgettable experience.

At that opening ceremony of the Marmaray Project, I stated that Turkey and Japan are ‘the two wings that will make Asia soar .’ I hope that the companies of Japan and Turkey will join hand-in-hand to continue to spread the two wings formed by Japan and Turkey ever stronger and wider .

Teşekkür ederim.”