Monday, May 18, 2009

Japan-Kiribati Summit Meeting

Prime Minister Taro Aso held talks with His Excellency Mr. Anote Tong, President of the Republic of Kiribati, at the Prime Minister's Office. During the talks, the leaders discussed matters such as Japan-Kiribati bilateral relations, the climate change issue, and economic cooperation.

On bilateral relations, Prime Minister Aso stated that Japan, recognizing the importance of advancing people-to-people exchanges with Kiribati, had been dispatching members of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) to Kiribati since last year. In response, President Tong expressed gratitude for Japan's holding of the Fifth Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM5) amidst difficulties facing the world economy.

President Tong stated that climate change was the most important issue for Kiribati. To this, Prime Minister Aso said that it was necessary to reach a consensus on an effective framework in which all the major economies will participate in a responsible manner, at the fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP15), to be held in Denmark at the end of this year. The Prime Minister further stated that Japan had developed environmental and energy-saving technologies as an area of business, explaining that these two were not in opposition but were achievable simultaneously.

On economic cooperation, Prime Minister Aso mentioned the Project for Expansion of the Betio Port, for which Kiribati had requested Japan's cooperation. The Prime Minister explained that Japan would dispatch an investigation group of the Japanese government in June to consider the type of cooperation that Japan would extend. To this, President Tong indicated appreciation for Japan's cooperation.

Related Link

• Japan-Kiribati Relations (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)