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Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Tuesday that Romania is a crucial partner to Japan, adding that he agreed with President Klaus Iohannis to have a close cooperation between the two countries to "maintain and consolidate the order of law on an international level." "Romania occupies a strategic geographical position in Europe and represents a crucial partner to Japan, our countries being grounded on common values and principles, such as freedom, democracy, human rights, the rule of law," Shinzo Abe said at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace, in the common statements with President Klaus Iohannis.
Japan's PM showed that the talks with President Iohannis aimed at several areas, including security. "It is extremely important that Mr President and I have the common conviction that we cannot accept the nuclear armament of North Korea and we believe it is necessary to intensify to a maximum level the pressure on this country. Moreover, we could also confirm our common vision in respect to the importance of the immediate solving of the problem of citizens' kidnapping. In the context in which stability is installed in the international society, we need an even stronger cooperation than so far between Japan and Europe, in the name of the common values that we ground ourselves on. From this point of view, Japan supports Europe in its unity and cohesion," Shinzo Abe.
He pointed out that the talks also aimed at the economic area. "For Romania's economy, the most important topic is the consolidation of infrastructure, and Japan is getting involved with all the dedication in building the fast access between Bucharest and the Henri Coanda International Airport by building the [metro] line 6. To encourage the exchanges and cooperation on a human resource level, we have recently decided on lifting the compulsoriness of entry visas to Japan for Romanian citizens and I hope increasingly more Romanians will come to visit Japan," Shinzo Abe also said.
He gave guarantees he will make all efforts for the development of the political, economic, cultural relations and those in all the other areas between Japan and Romania.
Shinzo Abe mentioned it is his first visit to Romania as Japan's PM, bringing to mind that 35 years ago he visited Romania on a private visit.
"I am glad to visit Romania this year of the Great Union Centennial. (...) I am glad that I visited the Japanese Garden of Bucharest and I am thanking for the very warm welcome I was shown in the country, in Romania. I could also get acquainted to the Romanian culture and this is extremely important to me," Japan's Prime Minister added.
