[Provisional Translation]

On Monday, June 25 at 2:25 p.m., Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura received a courtesy call for approximately 20 minutes from H.E. Dr. Rafik Abdessalem, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tunisia, who is currently visiting Japan as a guest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. An outline of the meeting is as follows:

1. To start with, Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura welcomed Minister Abdessalam on his first visit to Japan and expressed his congratulations on the appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He also expressed his sincerest thanks for the messages and support received from the Tunisian Government after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura stated that he appreciates the efforts toward democratization in Tunisia and that he hopes for political reform, including the establishment of a new constitution, to progress smoothly. He also stated that Japan intends to continue to provide support in order to back economic and social reforms such as adjusting regional disparities and solving the problem of youth unemployment.
   
   
2. In response, Minister Abdessalam expressed deep gratitude for the various forms of political and economic support that Japan has provided to Tunisia on the basis of a long-term friendly relationship. Minister Abdessalam stated that although Tunisia at present faces a range of challenges in security, the economy and other areas, he reassures that the Tunisian government will dedicate itself to working to resolve those challenges as the democratization of the country will affect the entire region.
   
   
3. In addition, both Chief Cabinet Secretary Fujimura and Minister Abdessalam confirmed that they will pursue bilateral cooperation in addressing regional and international challenges, including the advancement of regional integration between the countries of North Africa.