Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan today received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Armenia Jun Yamada, who is completing his diplomatic mission in our country.

The Premier appreciated the Ambassador’s tenure-long efforts, noting. “Through joint efforts, we have been able to strengthen the Armenian-Japanese relations, which we highly value and appreciate. We hope that this dynamics will be maintained and further developed.”

According to Nikol Pashinyan, there is an effective political dialogue established between the two countries, and Armenia is grateful to the Government of Japan for technical assistance provided in different fields of activity, including the fight against natural disasters. The Prime Minister wished Japan every success in organizing the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo. He noted that an Armenian delegation is going to attend the ceremonious opening of the Games.

Jun Yamada said he was honored to assume diplomatic mission in Armenia. In this context, he highly appreciated the experience gained during that time. In his words, the Armenian and Japanese peoples have a lot in common in terms of values, culture and traditions. Japan is prepared to assist the Armenian government with its efforts to develop the country, strengthen democracy and promote democratic values. To this end, the Government of Japan intends to provide technical assistance to Armenia in organizing early parliamentary elections.

Noting that he was leaving our country with fond impressions, the Ambassador assured that he would continue to help strengthen the Armenian-Japanese friendship throughout his career. The Armenian Prime Minister thanked the Government of Japan for the readiness to provide technical assistance in organizing snap parliamentary elections. Nikol Pashinyan stressed that our international partners’ support will help hold free, fair and transparent elections in Armenia.

The Premier referred to the situation in Artsakh following the war unleashed by Azerbaijan, stressing that the repatriation of Armenian POWs, the preservation of the Armenian historical and cultural heritage in the territories controlled by Azerbaijan, the settlement of the conflict based on peoples’ right to self-determination is a priority for the Armenian sides. The Prime Minister stressed the need for the international community to act in this direction, and called Japan’s attention to the aforementioned issues.

The interlocutors next explored ways of enhancing economic exchanges. Both sides found cooperation in the field of infrastructure promising. The furtherance of investment initiatives was discussed during the meeting. The Japanese Ambassador advised that Armenian wines took leading position in the wine competition recently held in Japan.

In this context, Prime Minister Pashinyan underscored that the Armenian government will make every effort to expand bilateral trade and economic ties, so that Armenian products might continue to master the Japanese market. Nikol Pashinyan wished Jun Yamada all the best and expressed hope that he would continue to be a friend of Armenia and the Armenian people.