Visit to Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Japan's Foreign Affairs Tarō Honda discussed cooperation in the energy and economic sectors, as well as inter-parliamentary relations, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reported. 

Jeyhun Bayramov noted that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to cooperation with Japan. He updated the visiting official in detail on the situation in Azerbaijan's territories liberated from Armenian occupation, the deliberate destruction of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia during the occupation period, looting of cultural heritage, large-scale restoration and construction work carried out by the Azerbaijani government, mine clearance, and environmental protection. The minister thanked Japanese companies for their participation in the construction process in Nagorno-Karabakh and informed Honda of the government's practical steps to establish sustainable peace in the region.

For his part, the Vice-Minister Honda noted that the relations between Azerbaijan and Japan have developed successfully in many areas, including political and economic sectors. According to him, Azerbaijan, which plays an important role in terms of energy security, is an important regional partner for Japan.

Also, Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov and Japanese Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Tarō Honda discussed the development of bilateral economic relations."During the meeting with Tarō Honda, parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, we discussed the development of economic relations between our countries, particularly in trade, the documents on the elimination of double taxation and investment protection, as well as cooperation in the field of green energy," Jabbarov wrote on his official Twitter page. The minister emphasised how important it is for Azerbaijan to deepen its relations with Japan and promote economic cooperation. He highlighted the necessity of boosting trade ties.

The parties agreed that there are several prospects for collaboration in industries such as tourism, renewable energy, the digital economy, and the implementation of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, among others. They reminded that 2022 has been designated as "Azerbaijan-Japan Year of Friendship" to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the two countries' diplomatic ties.

Azerbaijan and Japan collaborate in a variety of economic sectors. In Azerbaijan, Japanese firms engage in the oil and gas industry as well as agriculture. Furthermore, Japan has spent $7.1 billion in Azerbaijan during the two countries' partnership. Azerbaijan's Energy Ministry and TEPSCO, a Japanese business, struck a deal in 2021 to construct a "green energy" zone in the newly liberated territory. The agreement envisions the effective exploitation of renewable energy potential such as wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, and biofuels. It proposes the creation of a "green energy" zone based on current energy management technologies to provide energy to the region. In 2021, the trade turnover between the two countries was $274.8 million.

Visit to Georgia

Tarō Honda, Japan's Vice Foreign Minister, visited Georgia and met with Economy Minister and Vice Prime Minister Levan Davitashvili, Health Minister Zurab Azarashvili, and Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Khvtisiashvili.

During their discussion, Honda and Davitashvili discussed ways to strengthen bilateral economic connections in areas like as trade, energy, transportation, and communications, among others.After the meeting, Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili stated that "Japan has a very large potential to invest in Georgia". "We will collaborate with particular Japanese firms," he said, but did not elaborate.The two sides also discussed Georgia's transit potential, which "becomes increasingly interesting for Japanese enterprises to link with Europe," according to the Economy Minister.

The officials agreed to increase collaboration in efforts to combat climate change, notably in the fields of renewable energy and carbon dioxide emissions, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

Visit to Armenia

Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan met the delegation led by the Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Tarō Honda, the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported. At the beginning of the meeting, the parties exchanged congratulatory messages for the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, noting the importance of the anniversary for further development of the bilateral agenda.  

Mnatsakan Safaryan emphasised the importance of further development and strengthening of the Armenian-Japanese relations alongside the activation of economic cooperation, valuing the official assistance programs implemented by the Government of Japan in Armenia. The Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister presented the situation resulting from the blatant encroachments on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia by Azerbaijan, as well as the recent developments on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, reaffirming the urgency for a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue under the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs mandate.