On August 25, from 11:27 a.m. for about 20 minutes, Mr. FUKAZAWA Yoichi, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, held a meeting with Ambassador Mr. Mohamed Ali Hassan, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Djibouti, who is visiting Japan to attend the Ministerial Meeting of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD). The overview of the meeting is as follows.

  1. At the outset, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Fukazawa stated that Djibouti is an important partner for the promotion of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” and welcome the steady development of cooperation between the two countries, including in the area of security. Mr. Fukazawa also appreciated Djibouti’s leading role in ensuring peace and stability in the Horn of Africa as the chair country of IGAD.
  2. In response, Secretary General Hassan stated that the TICAD process is an important opportunity to connect Japan and Africa. Secretary General Hassan also stated and Japan is a strategically important partner with which Djibouti has a long-standing relationship and expressed his appreciation for the extensive support from Japan. Secretary General Hassan also stated that the Self-Defense Force base in Djibouti is significant because it contributes to the peace and stability in the Horn of Africa and to the security of the Red Sea, and that the operation to evacuate Japanese nationals from Sudan in the incident of armed conflict in the country is a successful example of Japan-Djibouti cooperation.
  3. Both sides confirmed that they would continue to work together in the areas of security and defense, as well as in efforts to improve regional connectivity, including bridge construction and road improvement projects on the Palmeraie Road, for which an E/N was signed in January of this year.
  4. Both sides confirmed that they would further develop Japan-Djibouti relations towards TICAD 9 in the coming year.