Tokyo, September 13, 2019 – The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, after meeting with his Highness, Emperor Naruhito of Japan, was received in a meeting by the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe.
At this meeting, there was discussed about the bilateral relations between the two countries and about the possibility of enhancing economic, educational and cultural exchange.
President Thaçi thanked Prime Minister Abe for the support that Japan has given to Kosovo, especially in the state-building and institution strengthening phase, in the media, health, education, culture and environment fields.
“This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. It is extremely good news that Japan is increasing its presence in the Western Balkans region”, he said after a news conference with the Japanese Prime Minister. “In Kosovo this is done namely with the opening of the Japanese Embassy early next year”, President Thaçi added.
According to him, Prime Minister Abe’s initiative for cooperation of the Western Balkan states is very encouraging and aims at creating long-term peace in our region.
On the other hand, the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe has said that in the last 10 years relations between Kosovo and Japan have grown tremendously.
“Today we have exchanged different views to find ways to advance this cooperation”, Prime Minister Abe said after meeting with President Thaçi.
In this meeting there was also discussed about the dialogue on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, as a precondition for the membership of the two countries in the European Union.
“In this regard, I assured Prime Minister Abe that Kosovo remains committed to continuing the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue and reaching a final peaceful agreement, which implies mutual recognition”, said President Thaçi.
Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, has also spoken about the importance of reaching an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia and creating the preconditions for this dialogue to continue.
“Japan is promoting peace and stability in the region. We support the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, facilitated by the European Union. I hope to see President Thaçi’s leadership for achieving this progress in this dialogue”, Abe added.
At this meeting there was also discussed about the concrete ways for Japanese investments in Kosovo. On this occasion, Prime Minister Abe welcomed President Thaçi’s initiative to create a business park for Japanese companies in Kosovo, contributing to greater exchange and economic development for Kosovo.
There was also discussed about Japan’s overall security concerns over North Korea’s behavior.
President Thaçi has stated that Kosovo fully supports the position of Japan and asks for continuing the dialogue for resolving disputes, especially with priority to find a solution for the kidnapping of Japanese citizens by the North Korean authorities.
After the meeting, the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, hosted a dinner for the President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi and the Kosovo delegation.