Japan–Namibia Foreign Minister’s Meeting and Working Lunch

On January 21, commencing at 11:35 a.m. for approximately 90 minutes, Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a meeting and working lunch with Hon. Selma ASHIPALA-MUSAVYI, Minister of International Relations and Trade of the Republic of Namibia, who is paying a visit to Japan, as a guest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. The overview is as follows:

1. At the outset, Minister MOTEGI welcomed Minister Ashipala-Musavyi’s visit to Japan as a guest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and expressed his hope to deepen cooperation with Namibia, a country that is important for strengthening connectivity between Indian Ocean nations and Africa by combining quality ports with access to neighboring countries, to maintain and strengthen the free and open international order based on the rule of law. In response, Minister Ashipala-Musavyi expressed her appreciation for Japan’s hospitality during this visit, as well as her expectation for further development of bilateral relations.
2. Minister MOTEGI stated that he would like to utilize this visit to follow up on the outcomes of TICAD 9. He also expressed his desire to further strengthen cooperation toward enhancing economic relations between Japan and Namibia, while also mentioning Japan’s past development cooperation and Japanese companies’ interest in mineral and energy resources. In response, Minister Ashipala-Musavyi expressed her gratitude for Japan’s support to date and her expectation for mutually beneficial economic development through Japanese companies’ investment in Namibia. Both sides concurred on accelerating cooperation toward further strengthening bilateral relations, including investment promotion.
3. Both sides also exchanged views on various regional and international issues, including the situation in the Indo-Pacific, their policies toward North Korea including the nuclear and missile issues and the abductions issue, the situation in Africa and nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. They confirmed that they would continue to work together.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.