prijava
SARAJEVO, May 2 (FENA) - Deputy Chair of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH Bisera Turković discussed yesterday several current topics in Sarajevo with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Toshimitsu Motegi, who is visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina, and signed two agreements.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH Bisera Turković and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Toshimitsu Motegi signed the Agreement on the exchange of notes between the Council of Ministers of BiH and the Government of Japan on a grant in the amount of five hundred million Japanese yen.
Ambassador of Japan to BiH Makoto Ito and Director of ITF Enhancing Human Security (previously named International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance) Tomaž Lovrenčič signed an Agreement between the Embassy of Japan in BiH and the ITF on grants for the demining support project in Bihać, Donji Vakuf, Doboj and Foča.
At the press conference after the meeting, Minister Turković said that Japan is a proven friend of BiH and its citizens, which has been reaffirmed through 25 years of diplomatic relations.
She stated that she discussed with her colleague from Japan three most important issues - the fight against consequences of coronavirus pandemic, progress of BiH and enhancement of economic cooperation between the two countries.
Minister Turković pointed out the selfless help of the Government of Japan, which set aside 500 million yen, which is close to eight million KM of non-refundable aid to BiH.
She announced that the funds will be invested in strengthening capacity for the fight against illegal migration. Turković assessed that it will be a strong contribution to strengthening the state and institutions that have been facing this problem for a long time. Implementation of the agreement signed yesterday will begin soon.
“Assistance for demining projects is also extremely important, for which we are grateful,” stated Turković.
She concluded that Minister Montegi's visit is a great honor for BiH, emphasizing that good relations with Japan are of great importance for a country like BiH, not only because of the help that arrives when it is most needed, but also because BiH has a great friend among the world's most powerful states.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said that Japan and BiH are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year.
He stressed that Japan and BiH share basic values such as freedom, democracy, human rights, the rule of law and market economy.
“Through the signing of the agreement on the donation of the necessary equipment for border control, and through the demining project that we will carry out in cooperation with the Slovenian non-governmental organization, we have improved bilateral cooperation between the two countries,” said Minister Motegi.
He said that Japan supports the sovereignty and unity of BiH. In this regard, after the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, Japan, as a member of the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council, continued to assist BiH citizens in the areas of environmental protection, medicine, education and demining.
Minister Motegi stated that Japan will continue to help BiH in building a state and reconciling the people.
(FENA) A. B.
