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| Top > Speeches and Statements by Prime Minister |
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Joint Statement on a New Partnership in the 21st Century between Japan and Ukraine
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Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi and President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko, welcoming the continuing development of friendly relations between Japan and Ukraine since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries in 1992, issued the following statement on the occasion of President Yushchenko's visit to Japan from 20 to 23 July 2005.
The Japanese side highly praised the people of Ukraine for exercising their right to freely elect their leadership at the presidential elections in 2004, while the Ukrainian side expressed its deep gratitude to the people of Japan for their full support for democratic change in Ukraine. The Japanese side reaffirmed its intention to further support the consolidation of democracy in Ukraine. Recognizing that universal values, such as democracy, market economy and respect for human rights, are key to the future development of Ukraine, the Ukrainian side reaffirmed its commitment to accelerating reforms toward the establishment of transparent legal and economic systems, which would broaden the scope of bilateral relations and bring Ukraine closer to achieving its goal of integration into Europe. On this basis, the two sides expressed their intention to exert their utmost efforts to establish a new partnership between themselves as equals sharing the same fundamental values. The Japanese side reiterated its recognition of Ukraine as one of the successor states to the former USSR. Promotion of Political Dialogue Recognizing the steady development of bilateral relations since the signing of the Joint Statement of Japan and Ukraine of 1995, the two sides welcomed the recent intensification of political dialogue and expressed their willingness to further promote such dialogue, including inter-parliamentary exchange as well as high-level consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries. Both sides expressed their intention to establish the Japan-Ukraine Cooperation Committee at the Ministerial level in order to discuss the ways and means of possible cooperation in the fields of bilateral and international issues. Recognizing the importance of maintaining peace and stability in Eastern Europe, the two sides expressed their interest in enhancing bilateral dialogue and cooperation for supporting democratization and economic transition in the region.
Trade and Investment, Accession to the WTO
The two sides welcomed recent developments in bilateral economic relations, especially in trade and investment, and expressed their intention to deepen their cooperation in these fields. In this respect, they welcomed the conclusion of the bilateral negotiations between Japan and Ukraine on the accession of Ukraine to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and expressed their hope for the early accession of Ukraine, which would further promote the integration of Ukraine into the world economy. The Ukrainian side reaffirmed its commitment to making efforts to improve the investment environment for foreign investors. The two sides expressed their intention to enhance bilateral consultations on the investment environment for Japanese businesses in Ukraine and other trade- and investment-related matters. In this regard, both sides welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for a bank loan of a total amount of up to US$50 million to be extended by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation to the State Export-Import Bank of Ukraine with a view to promoting exports of machinery and equipment from Japan and contributing to the economic development of Ukraine. Economic Assistance The Ukrainian side expressed its appreciation to Japan for its consistent support for the consolidation of democracy and the establishment of a transparent market economy in Ukraine. Special appreciation was expressed for the first Japanese yen loan for the Boryspil State International Airport Development Project. Furthermore, both sides welcomed the success of the cooperation between the two countries to reduce poverty and improve medical services in Ukraine. The Japanese side announced its financial contribution in the amount of $775,000 for the Health Reform Project through the Policy and Human Resources Development Fund (PHRD), a Japanese trust fund at the World Bank. Both sides made special note of the Agreement on Technical Cooperation and Grant Assistance signed on 10 June 2004, which has facilitated, among others, the implementation of Japanese technical assistance to Ukraine, including the transfer of know-how and capacity building. In this connection, both sides welcomed the conclusion of an arrangement signed on 15 July 2005 for the implementation of a technical cooperation project of the Ukraine-Japan Center in Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, which would promote the development of a market economy through the training of Ukrainian nationals as well as cultural exchange between the two countries. Cooperation in Science and Technology Both sides shared the common view that science and technology are key to economic competitiveness, the improvement of living standards, and the protection of the global environment. Both sides confirmed their intention to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the sphere of science and technology and noted the launching of a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) satellite by a Ukrainian rocket in August 2005.
On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the United Nations, both sides shared the view on the need for comprehensive reform of the United Nations to respond effectively to the challenges of the 21st century by strengthening its effectiveness, credibility and legitimacy. Both sides expressed their determination to work together for the early realization of UN reforms, including the expansion of both the permanent and non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council, as co-sponsors of the draft framework resolution on Security Council reform. In this context, the Ukrainian side reaffirmed its support for permanent membership for Japan in the expanded Security Council and the Japanese side reconfirmed its support for the allocation of one additional seat for the East European Group of countries in the non-permanent category of the Security Council. Fight against Terrorism Recognizing the immediate threat of terrorism as shown in the terrorist attacks in London on 7 July 2005, both sides condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations as criminal, whatever the motivation. They shared the view that it is important for the international community to continue to be united in the fight against terrorism. They welcomed the adoption of the Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism and expressed their determination to sign and conclude it as soon as possible. Both sides also expressed their determination to conclude the negotiations regarding the draft Comprehensive Convention on Terrorism by June 2006. Disarmament and Non-proliferation Recalling the upcoming 60th anniversary of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, both sides renewed their strong determination not to repeat the tragedy of nuclear devastation. Both sides reaffirmed their international commitment to disarmament and the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their means of delivery. The two sides expressed their intention to continue to actively work together to strengthen nonproliferation, including export controls particularly of WMD and their means of delivery which are a security concern to both countries. The two sides expressed their willingness to actively consider the possibility of cooperating to enhance Ukraine's State system of accounting and control of nuclear materials through the Japan-Ukraine Committee for Cooperation on Reducing Nuclear Weapons. The Japanese side highly appreciated the decision made by Ukraine to voluntarily eliminate its nuclear arsenal, which used to be the third largest in the world. The Japanese side also welcomed Ukraine's participation in G8 Global Partnership against Proliferation of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction. Both sides will continue to cooperate for disarmament and non-proliferation projects under this initiative. Cooperation related to the accident at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant Remembering the upcoming 20th anniversary of the accident at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant next year, the Japanese side, feeling sympathy with the Ukrainian people who suffered and are still suffering from the effects of radiation as a result of the accident, expressed its intention to continue to provide assistance to those who were affected. In this regard, both sides welcomed the successful implementation of the Chornobyl Recovery and Development Program by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), to which Japan contributed $1.18 million through the UN Trust Fund for Human Security. Furthermore, the Japanese side committed itself to provide an additional $10 million to the Chornobyl Shelter Fund to help complete the construction of the Shelter. The Ukrainian side expressed its gratitude to the Japanese side for its assistance and its readiness to provide additional financing to ensure the prompt completion of the Shelter. North Korea Both sides welcomed the re-opening of the Six-Party Talks, which should lead to the complete dismantling of the North Korea's nuclear program subject to credible international verification. Further, the Ukrainian side expressed its understanding of Japan's concerns over the issue of abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korea and its strong hope for the prompt resolution of this issue. Iraq The two sides shared the view that peace and stability in Iraq and the entire Middle East are indispensable for the peace and stability of the world, and they attached great importance to promoting the reconstruction of Iraq in cooperation with the international community to the utmost extent. In this regard, the Japanese side highly appreciated Ukraine's major contribution in dispatching many troops to Iraq to provide security and train Iraqi security forces, while the Ukrainian side highly valued the activities of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces in providing humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to local residents. United Nations Peacekeeping Operations Both sides confirmed their intention to actively contribute to the maintenance of international peace and stability and to cooperate in UN peacekeeping operations. The two sides will establish a cooperative relationship between the units of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the Armed Forces of Ukraine within the framework of the UN peacekeeping mission at the Golan Heights known as the UNDOF. Environment Reaffirming the importance of global environmental protection and the need for adequate international cooperation in this field, the two sides expressed their intention to continue their efforts to implement their commitments under the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In this regard, they expressed their interest in cooperating to promote the Joint Implementation (JI) projects and the Green Investment Schemes (GIS) with the participation of the Japanese private sector under the Kyoto Mechanism.
Recognizing that trust between the peoples of the two countries is the foundation of a closer bilateral relationship, the two sides expressed their intention to further strengthen mutual understanding through cultural exchange, scholarships, language study, and sister city relationships. Welcoming the recent developments in cultural exchange between the two countries including the upcoming exhibitions of Japanese calligraphy and ikebana, a friendly match between the national football teams in October in Ukraine, and a joint performance of Japanese and Ukrainian ballet theaters in August and the performance of the Symphony Orchestra of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine in November in Japan, both sides expressed their willingness to hold a Japanese month in Ukraine and a Ukrainian month in Japan in 2006. Both sides welcomed the signing of the exchange of notes for the supply to a language laboratory and audio-visual equipment to the National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv in March 2005 under the framework of the cultural grant aid program. The Japanese side expressed its intention to further continue this program for the promotion of Ukrainian culture and higher education and for the preservation of the Ukrainian cultural heritage. Recognizing tourism as one of the most important ways to develop ties between the peoples and cultures of the two countries, both sides expressed their desire to promote tourism through, among other means, Ukrainian participation in the 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan and Japan's Visit Japan Campaign. The Ukrainian side intends to exempt Japanese nationals from short-term visa requirements in order to boost people-to-people contact, including business exchange, between the two countries.
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