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Japan-Slovakia Summit Meeting (Summary)
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Today (Wednesday, June 27), from 5:30 p.m. until shortly after 7:00 p.m., Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda held a meeting and hosted a dinner at his Official Residence with H.E. Mr. Ivan Gasparovic, President of the Slovak Republic who is currently visiting Japan. An outline of the meeting is as follows.
- Bilateral relations
(1) Prime Minister Noda welcomed President Gasparovic on this, his first official visit to Japan as President of Slovakia and stated that in looking ahead to the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries next year, he hopes to expand the scope of their favorable bilateral relations, through various specific projects such as a social security agreement and academic exchange between universities. In addition, Prime Minister Noda expressed his gratitude for the visit by the president and his wife on the 26th (Tuesday) to areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, and their donation of money to local elementary schools.
(2) President Gasparovic expressed his admiration at Japan’s rapid recovery since the earthquake, and stated that wants to further strengthen the good bilateral relations, and would like to invite Prime Minister Noda to Slovakia.
- Japan-EU relations
(1) Prime Minister Noda again emphasized the importance of the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), and requested the support of Slovakia toward the commencement of negotiations.
(2) President Gasparovic agreed to the importance of the Japan-EU EPA, after which he mentioned the importance of the domestic automobile industry to Slovakia and stated his desire to cooperate with Japan in a mutually beneficial manner.
(3) The two leaders exchanged opinions on the European debt crisis.
- The international situation
(1) The two leaders shared the view that reform of the United Nations Security Council is necessary, and President Gasparovic again declared his support for Japan becoming a permanent member of the Security Council.
(2) The two leaders exchanged opinions on the regional situations of interest to both countries, including the North Korea, and shared the view that they would continue to cooperate in the international arena.
