Antalya, 20 March 2022 (TDI): Foreign Minister of Turkey, Mevlüt Cavuşoglu said that Turkey and Japan intend to improve their bilateral cooperation on multilateral platforms.
In this regard, the Foreign Minister of Japan, Yoshimasa Hayashi met with the Turkish Foreign Minister in Antalya and conducted a joint press conference also.
Press Release Regarding the Working Visit of H.E. Mr. Hayashi Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan to Türkiye https://t.co/rK0sw4UPsV pic.twitter.com/96lKlmovrB
— Turkish MFA (@MFATurkiye) March 18, 2022
During a joint press conference with Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi, Foreign Minister Cavuşoglu reiterated the support of Turkey for Japan’s candidacy for the United Nations Security Council from 2023 to 2024.
According to the Japanese diplomat, Ankara and Tokyo are agreed to continue their strong collaboration on international platforms to defend international order and to cooperate closely on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation.
Yoshimasa Hayashi stated that Japan will extend its collaboration with Turkey in the various sectors to commemorate the 100th anniversary of both nations’ diplomatic ties.
Çavuşoğlu denoted that Hayashi’s visit is Japan’s second at the Foreign Minister-level in the recent year, while both states have established their strategic alliance in 2013.
Further, he added that Japan is a “very important partner” for Turkey. Their strategic alliance is deeply ingrained and built on particular and friendly ties.
In 2024, they will mark the 100th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, and mutually it has been opined to begin arranging collaborative events in this regard.
It is pertinent to mention that Turkey has introduced its ‘Asia Anew initiative’ to expand its diplomatic relations in 2019.
According to the Turkish Foreign Minister, they also have discussed the expansion of mutual trade, in which economic cooperation deal would be significantly helpful to replicate the trade volume.
On expressing the desire to focus on areas like agriculture and energy, he stated that “It is essential to encourage investments”. Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi went on to say that they have discussed the Asia Anew project and decided to host a consultancy meeting on naval issues in the first half of this year.
For the prompt accomplishment of the Japan-Turkey economic partnership and social security agreement, they have decided to accelerate their negotiations for the further promotion of bilateral economic cooperation.
The Japanese Minister also has welcomed the appointment of a rector of the Turkish Japanese Science and Technology University. Further, he said in this regard that efforts are also being made to open the university next year.
Japan was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic ties with the Republic of Turkey when the Ottoman Empire was demolished in 1924. Turkey had opened its first embassy in Tokyo a year later.
After decades of strong relations, both states have upgraded their relations to the level of “strategic partnership” in 2013 and Japan had declared 2019 as the Turkish Culture Year.
In addition, both nations also have pursued strong economic cooperation. Aside from the significant volume of trade, Japan is also a big investor in Turkey, with over 200 Japanese firms working in the country.
Recently, Japan remained a financier of infrastructure projects in Istanbul through its Japan International Cooperation Agency. Further, landmark Marmaray underwater rail link, a bridge over it, and another bridge connecting the city’s Asian and European sides were also included. The agency also has financed the two dam projects in Turkey.
