Japan recognizes Azerbaijan territorial integrity

By Amina Nazarli - AzerNews

A delegation led by Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister, chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and IDP Affairs, chairman of the Republican Commission on International Humanitarian Aid Ali Hasanov has paid an official visit to Japan on August 26.

The five-day visit aims at further developing friendly relations and bilateral cooperation in the humanitarian sphere between the two countries.

On the first day of his visit, Hasanov met with Deputy Foreign Minister of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party Kentaro Sonoura. The sides exchanged views on the current state of relations between the two countries.

Hasanov hailed relations between the two sides as high, expressing gratitude on behalf of the Azerbaijani government for Japan's humanitarian aid to the country.

Hailing development of cooperation between the two countries in recent years as rapid, Kentaro Sonoura underlined that high-level mutual visits between the two countries’ officials have been intensified. "These visits have positive impact on the development of mutual relations," he said.

Touching upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Hasanov said that Armenia occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijani lands, as a result of which more than one million Azerbaijanis have become refugees and internally displaced people.

Activities of the OSCE Minsk Group which is involved in solving the dispute are still fruitless. Expressing his gratitude for Japan's fair position on the conflict, Hasanov said he believed in Japan's further supporting Azerbaijan in this issue.

Japanese Deputy FM noted that his country recognizes and respects Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Then, the Azerbaijani Deputy Premier has met Vice-President of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Kae Yanagisawa.

The sides discussed activities carried out and to be implemented by Representation of JICA in Azerbaijan in terms of solving the problems of refugees and internally displaced persons.

Hasanov praised the activities of JICA in Azerbaijan in terms of solving problems of refugees and internally displaced persons, expressing his confidence that the work in this sphere would continue in the years ahead.

Yanagisawa emphasized that her country follows Azerbaijan's development, adding Japan is interested in the soonest settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, returning of refugees and internally displaced persons to their homes. "Japan always supports Azerbaijan's fair position," she said.

Diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Japan were established in 1992. Relations between the two countries have continued to develop steadily. Japan was one of the first countries to support Azerbaijan's forward-looking oil strategy.

Today two major Japanese companies Itochu and Impex are involved in the Contract of the Century. Leaders of Japanese business, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Marubeni, and Sojits are involved in energy and infrastructure projects in the country.

Azerbaijan is considering further cooperation with Japan in the field of high technology, particularly in the field of manufacture of innovative production, with their further entering the regional markets.

So far, Japanese companies were involved mainly in projects in the energy sector, but in recent years their interests to cooperate in areas such as petrochemicals, oil refining, energy, medicine, high-tech and space industry have increased.