Joint Statement for the Press of the 4th Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the GUAM and Japan

On December 8, 2016, in Hamburg, the 4th GUAM-Japan ministerial meeting took place on the sidelines of the OSCE Ministerial Council.

The GUAM side was represented by: Mr. Elmar Mammadyarov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan (GUAM Chairmanship); Mr. Mikheil Janelidze, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia; Mr. Andrei Galbur, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova; Mr. Pavlo Klimkin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; and Mr. Altai Efendiev, GUAM Secretary General.

The Japanese side was represented by H.E. Mr. Nobuo Kishi, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan.

The sides reiterated that they consider the maintenance of peace, security, stability and cooperation in each region as an important element of collective efforts to create a common space of indivisible security for all states without exceptions or distinctions.

The sides agreed to continue dialogue at the appropriate forums and recalled their obligations to respect the universally recognized norms and principles of international law, including those enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, in particular the principles of respect to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of internationally recognized borders of the States.

The sides were pleased to emphasize that the “GUAM-Japan Cooperation Program” signed during the 3rd GUAM-Japan ministerial meeting (December 3, 2015, Belgrade) provides a solid basis for widening and deepening cooperation between GUAM and Japan.

The sides underlined the necessity of elaborating and implementing projects and programs of cooperation on the basis of the “GUAM-Japan Cooperation Program” in the spheres of trade and investments, energy, emergency situations, tourism, transport, culture, agriculture, medical care and environment.

The GUAM ministers expressed their gratitude to the Japanese side for its commitment to cooperation with GUAM and, in particular, for the excellent organization of the workshop “Environment – Waste Management” for the experts from GUAM Member States (February 21-29, 2016, Japan) and welcomed the initiative to organize the next workshop on “Tourism” (January, 2017, Japan).

The sides emphasized the added value of enhanced GUAM-Japan interaction, aimed at ensuring peace, security and stability in each region.

The sides reconfirmed the interest and readiness to maintain high-level dialogue, including both on GUAM-Japan cooperation and a wide range of regional and global issues.

The time and venue of the next GUAM-Japan meeting will be agreed through diplomatic channels.