Đurić: An important visit to strengthen Serbia’s position in Japan

“Japan is an important partner for Serbia, and it is therefore significant that today’s meetings – with Foreign Minister Mr. Takeshi Iwaya, with representatives of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), as well as with members of the parliamentary group – were held in a positive spirit,” Minister Đurić underlined.

The Serbian Foreign Minister recalled that this was the first visit of a Serbian Foreign Minister to Japan since 2009, while at the same time representing an excellent opportunity to advance Serbia’s position in one of the world’s four largest economies.

“Japan is an economic and technological powerhouse, employing more than 5,000 people in Serbia. Japanese investments are a major step forward for our economy – not only in the technological sense, but also in organizational, economic, and political terms,” Đurić emphasized.

He noted that work is also underway on an investment protection agreement, which should provide an additional impetus to economic cooperation between the two countries.

“We also discussed sensitive political topics, including the issue of Kosovo and Metohija, where our positions differ. Still, we appreciate and respect the fact that Japan, for example, abstained from voting when Pristina attempted to join UNESCO. Japan demonstrated respect and understanding for our heritage in Kosovo and Metohija, and it is important that we present our case to them on this issue,” the Minister stated.

Đurić underlined that Serbia has friends in Japan, including a considerable number in influential positions, which is a legacy of relations established as far back as 1882.

“It is in our interest to develop economic and all other forms of cooperation with Japan, because there is no doubt that it will remain one of the world’s leading economies in the future,” the Minister stressed.

Speaking about the continuation of his visit, and recalling that Serbia will proudly host Expo 2027, Minister Đurić announced that tomorrow will be marked by a visit to Osaka and to the Serbian Pavilion at the World Exhibition in that city, which has already been visited by more than 700,000 people who became acquainted with Serbia’s culture and spirit, and many of whom experienced it as an invitation to visit our country.

He emphasized that, thanks to the efforts of President Aleksandar Vučić, who decorated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Serbia’s relations with Japan have been given new momentum.

“Today we are working to continue building our relations with Japan, we expect an acceleration of Japanese investments in Serbia, as well as continued high- and top-level visits,” Đurić highlighted.

He added that Serbia’s balanced foreign policy is reflected in the fact that, within the span of a month, he held a meeting with Senator Marco Rubio in Washington, two weeks later met with the Japanese Foreign Minister, while in the meantime Belgrade hosted the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Congo.

“We also welcomed many other officials, and I am immensely proud of my team at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for all of this. It is not often that a country of our size has its doors so widely open. I believe this is the result of the responsible economic policy pursued in our country in recent years, as well as Serbia’s consistent efforts to contribute to regional stability. Ultimately, I would say that the team led by President Vučić has succeeded in positioning Serbia as one of the key actors in our part of Europe,” concluded Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Đurić.