Remarks on April 23, 2008
Ambassador Kato delivers a speech at the lunch for the newly restructured Jordan-Japan Parliamentarian Friendship Association
H.E. Mr. Bassam Al-Manasir, President of Jordan-Japan Parliamentarian Friendship Association,
Honorable members of the Association,
I would like to extend the warmest welcome to all of you and to offer my heartfelt congratulations on your election last November and on the restructuring of the Jordan-Japan Parliamentarian Friendship Association. Your friendship Association is one of the key organizations to play as a bridge between Japan and Jordan. I expect the Friendship Association’s active role and initiatives will further contribute to the development of the bilateral relationship between our countries.
To cerebrate the restructuring of the Friendship Association, I invited some representatives from the Japanese community in Jordan,
(1) Mr. Kato, President of the Japanese Community Association,
(2) Representatives from three joint venture companies on behalf of 19 Japanese companies operating in Jordan,
(3) Representatives of JICA and JBIC, and
(4) Japanese staff working for international organizations who are all involved in development assistance to Jordan and Iraq. We are all hoping that today’s meeting will be a good start for fruitful activities of your Friendship Association. The Embassy is ready to provide every support to the future activities of the Association.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Japan and Jordan today are enjoying a very close and friendly relationship at various levels such as the royal families, the governments and the people. I am proud to say that it has reached best we ever had, in spite of the current international situations and the disturbing regional turbulences. Particularly through the mutual high-level visits such as H.M. King Abdullah II to Japan at the end of 2006, then Prime Minister Koizumi to Jordan in 2006 and then Foreign Minister Aso to Jordan in 2007, Japan has shown its strong commitment to make every effort to help realize peace and prosperity in this region. At the same time, Japan reaffirmed its strong partnership with Jordan, a stable and secured country in the region, in order to promote Japan’s diplomatic engagement in the Middle East.
Reflecting such well stable and secured Jordan in addition to its well gifted people, it is my pleasure to witness the number of Japanese residents in Jordan is steadily on increase as well as the direct investments by the private sector of Japan. Last year, a new direct investment project for a cable manufacturing company was established by joint efforts among Jordan, Japan and Saudi Arabia, in addition to the launching of an electric power station by joint venture of American and Japanese companies to produce about 17% of the domestic power supply.
Furthermore, based on the partnership with Jordan, Japan has been providing the region with wide technical cooperation in Jordan for officials and experts of both the Iraqi government and the Palestinian authority. Such achievements were deeply appreciated by both the Iraqi and Palestinian sides. Some Japanese nationals in the international organizations here in Jordan are dedicating themselves to Iraqi reconstructions and humanitarian affairs.
Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my deepest appreciation for the warm hospitality and for the various supports extended by the Jordanian Government and its people to our agencies and to Japanese nationals. I am determined to do my best to continue such an excellent relationship.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Since the restructuring of the Friendship Association, I have met President Al-Manasir twice already. H.E.Mr. Al-Manasir has expressed his genuine intention to increase the current interactions between the Jordanian Association and its Japanese counterpart. He also stressed his strong expectations for more direct investment from Japanese companies to Jordan, which has a geopolitical significance for its advantage. I have already relayed these messages to our home government so as to be conveyed to your counterpart in Tokyo.
Finally, I would like to reiterate my sincere wishes for every success and active engagement of the Jordan-Japan Parliamentarian Friendship Association.
Thank you.
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