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Azerbaijani and Japanese foreign ministers issue joint statement

18 June 2009 10:56 (UTC +04:00)

Tokyo â€“APA. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov, who is on a visit to Japan at the invitation of the government of Japan, met with his counterpart Hirofumi Nakasone, press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan told APA. The two ministers discussed a wide range of issues, including the bilateral relations and global issues of mutual interest. The Azerbaijani and Japanese foreign ministers issued a joint press statement after the meeting. Recalling the joint statement on the further development of friendship and partnership between Japan and the Republic of Azerbaijan issued on March 10, 2006 on the occasion of the visit to Japan by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, both sides reviewed the achievements up to the present and exchanged views on the future direction of the bilateral relations. Both sides highly valued the active and fruitful dialogues between Japan and Azerbaijan which were conducted in recent years, including the high-level policy consultations that have been held as many as four times in both capitals since the visit to Japan by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in March 2006 and decided to hold regular meetings between the Foreign Ministries of the two countries to discuss a wide range of issues, including bilateral relations and all aspects of other international issues of common interest in order to enlarge the cooperation between two ministries, convinced that the constructive and stable dialogue will contribute to better mutual understanding and further development of the bilateral relations.

The Japanese side expressed its intention of continuing to extend its cooperation to the efforts by the Republic of Azerbaijan to achieve further democratization and market-oriented economy, considering that the stability and prosperity of the Republic of Azerbaijan, which is of importance to Japan from the viewpoint of geopolitics and energy policies, would contribute to the peace and stability of the whole Caucasus region. Considering the importance of the roles played by the Japan-Azerbaijan Economic Committee for further expansion of trade and investment between the two countries, both sides confirmed the necessity of holding a next joint meeting of the committee in the near future. The Azerbaijani side expressed its deep appreciation for Japan’s support for GUAM and active cooperation and dialogue between Japan and GUAM.

Both sides emphasized the importance of a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan through various channels including the OSCE Minsk Group based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and the inviolability of the internationally recognized borders. The Japanese side reiterated its support for efforts aimed at achieving peace and stability in the region, and affirmed its expectation for constructive engagement by international partners, as the Caucasus region, situated at the crossroad of Asia and Europe, has the potential to become a region of peace and prosperity for all populations. Both sides exchanged views on international issues of mutual interest, including the situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.