[Provisional Translation]

On Tuesday September 25, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda held a summit meeting with Mr. Juan Manuel Santos, President of the Republic of Colombia for about thirty minutes at a hotel near the venue of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The overview is as follows:

1. At the start of the summit meeting, Prime Minister Noda stated that economic relations between Japan and Colombia have become increasingly close as the two countries signed the Agreement between Japan and Colombia for the liberalization promotion and protection of investment and conducted a joint study for the Japan-Colombia Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). Prime Minister Noda also stated that he hoped that bilateral relations between Japan and Colombia would be further strengthened. In this regard, he expressed his gratitude for Colombia's lifting all restrictions on imports from Japan in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
   In response, President Santos expressed his gratitude for Prime Minister Noda's warm welcome to his visit to Japan last year. He also stated that his first visit to Japan before last year's was about twenty years ago and he has considered Japan as an important country since then. He emphasized that his dream since the first visit, strengthening relations between Japan and Colombia, has been realized.
   
   
2. With regard to the Japan-Colombia EPA, both leaders welcomed the completion of the Joint Study Group for the EPA between Japan and Colombia and shared the view that the two countries would start negotiations for the Japan-Colombia EPA. In this regard, President Santos stated that he was pleased to begin the negotiations for the EPA and would aim to enhance bilateral relations between Japan and Colombia through the EPA.
   
   
3. Both leaders also discussed issues such as the Pacific Alliance, cooperation on the issues over North Korea and the necessity of improving the security situations in Colombia further more. In addition, Prime Minister Noda stated that he highly valued President Santos's leadership in starting the peace talks with the FARC.