Japanese PM Shinzo Abe cancels meeting with Romanian Government

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe - who has arrived on Monday evening in Bucharest on first official visit, ar part of his diplomatic tour in the region - has cancelled his visit to the Victoria Palace following PM Mihai Tudose’s resignation.

Shinzo Abe’s meeting with Mihai Tudose was scheduled for today at 1 pm, but plans changed as a result of the Romanian Prime Minister’s resignation.

According to RRA Reporter Andrei Şerban, Japanese Prime Minister's program to Bucharest has been reconfigured. The Japanese delegation of officials and economic representatives, headed by Abe’s Deputy Chief of Staff Katoro Nogami, has been welcomed at the Victoria Palace today by Romanian Deputy Prime Minister Paul Stanescu. The meeting has been followed by a work lunch.

"You are the first Japanese delegation led by the Prime Minister to visit Romania, this gesture confirms the mutual desire to meet the traditional friendship relations between our countries. This visit has a much greater significance as it happens in the year when Romania marks the 100th anniversary of the unification of all the territories inhabited by Romanians in a single national unitary state. The celebrations that will take place all year long have been named "We celebrate together" and we are glad to start this anniversary together with our Japanese friends", Deputy Prime Minister Paul Stănescu said.

"We are convinced that our talks will lead to enhancing and widening bilateral cooperation in multiple areas of common interest. Today, here, together with my colleagues ministers that I apologize for not having presented at the beginning - Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Meleșcanu, Minister of Economy Gheorghe Şimon, Minister of SMEs Ilan Laufer, and Georgian Pop - Head of the Romanian-Japanese Friendship Group, and all my colleagues, ministers-delegates on all very important areas that we discuss. Deepening relations with Japan constitutes a priority of the Foreign Policy component in the Governance program that we want to promote as efficiently as possible. After 1990, the development of cooperation with Japan represented and still represents a constant objective of the Romanian Foreign Policy, regardless of the political formula of the Bucharest Government", Paul Stănescu added.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has scheduled a meeting today with the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, with whom he will talk about strengthening bilateral relations, Japan's cooperation with the European Union, but also on issues related to the North Korean nuclear file.

The Japanese Premier is accompanied by representatives from 30 companies looking for business opportunities. Among those present in Romania are the representatives of Mitsubishi Corporation and NTT Data, a subsidiary of NTT specializing in telecommunication services.

Source:RRA.Translated by Miruna Matei