During her second day of official activities in Tokyo, Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra met today with her Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, with whom she discussed bilateral relations and agreed to intensify and strengthen political, economic, trade and investment ties between Argentina and Japan.
At the meeting, Malcorra expressed Argentina's interest in having the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, visit the country, considering the invitation extended by President Macri last April. In addition, the possibility of a visit by President Macri to Japan in the early months of 2017 was discussed. Malcorra and Kishida also discussed other high-level visits to take place in the near future, including at the parliamentary level.
The Foreign Ministers agreed to resume Policy Consultation meetings between Japan and Argentina, tentatively next October in the city of Tokyo, further agreeing to promote the strengthening of cooperation links between Argentina and Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
They also agreed to promote stronger economic bonds and an increase in trade and investment flows at the bilateral level. Opinions were exchanged on the negotiation of an investment agreement between the two countries, and the possibility of establishing a double taxation agreement was also discussed. They also agreed to strengthen actions in Argentina by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and welcomed the Japanese decision to send again a permanent representative of JETRO to Argentina, as well as this week's successful JETRO trade mission to our country.
Malcorra and Kishida addressed different aspects with regard to the reform of the United Nations Security Council, the election of the Secretary General and other candidacies, and agreed to cooperate more intensely in international fora, particularly in matters related to terrorism, while condemning the recent attacks in Bangladesh, which killed seven Japanese consultants.
Foreign Minister Malcorra also took part in a working lunch with the Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hitoshi Kikawada. During the lunch, they discussed the current situation of East Asia, and both condemned the proliferation of nuclear weapons being pursued by North Korea. In addition, they exchanged opinions on Latin America and on the alternatives to strengthen relations between Japan and MERCOSUR.
Press Release No. 231/16
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