The Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, declared today that Japan will appoint an ambassador for the Western Balkans.

In a joint press statement with Prime Minister Edi Rama, Kishida said that, “the implementation of regional peace and the prosperity of the Western Balkans, including Albania, is important not only for Europe, but also for the international community, including Japan.” Seen from such a perspective, regarding the Western Balkans Cooperation Agreement, Japan supports increasing reform efforts by the countries of the Western Balkans, in their ambition to enter the European Union.

And in this context, he emphasized, “Japan will appoint an ambassador for the Western Balkans. Together with Prime Minister Rama, we will discuss these initiatives from Japan and the importance of Albania’s role in promoting inter-ethnic reconciliation”.

“We will also discuss international security issues, including the Pacific region and other regions. I intend to explain to the Prime Minister our national security strategy approved by our government in the face of such a situation. I found a preliminary understanding during the meeting and during the discussions with Prime Minister Rama and we will also talk about strengthening the cooperation between our two countries”, said Kishida.

Prime Minister of Japan, Kishida emphasized that, during the meeting, we agreed to strongly condemn Russian aggression against Ukraine, which is an open violation of international law, a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“As a country that was hit by atomic bombs during World War II, Japan can never accept Russian threats to use nuclear weapons. We are to cooperate in partnership with the international community and to give a clear message about this. Also, I emphasized, that Japan as the chair of the G7 during this year will push forward the imposition of strong sanctions on Russia and the provision of assistance to Ukraine. We agreed that we are two countries that should continue to work closely, including a resolution that will be approved by the UN General Assembly,” he said.

/k.s/