On December 24, commencing at 5:20 p.m.for approximately 25 minutes, Mr. HAYASHI Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs, held a meeting with H.E.Mr.Mukhtar TILEUBERDI, Deputy Prime Minister and Minsiter for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan who is visiting Japan to attend the 9th Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue. The overview of the meeting is as follows.

At the outset, Minister Hayashi stated that Kazakhstan is a strategic partner in maintaining and strengthening a free and open international order based on the "rule of law" and that he hopes to strengthen cooperation in various areas. He also welcomed the signing of the cooperation document between JICA of Japan and KazAID of Kazakhstan on the previous day, December 23, and expressed hope for future cooperation.

Minister Hayashi noted the important role Kazakhstan plays in ensuring a stable energy supply and the significance of logistics routes such as the "“Trans-Caspian International Transport Route," and expressed his desire to cooperate with Kazakhstan in decarbonization. In response, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tileuberdi said that Kazakhstan is actively working not only in the traditional areas of fossil fuel and rare metal exports, but also in the area of decarbonization, and that he would like to further promote cooperation with Japan.

The two Ministers exchanged views on the international situation, including Ukraine and East Asia, as well as cooperation in the international arena, and confirmed that they will continue to work closely together in various fields. They also concurred to continue coordination toward a "world free from nuclear weapons" between Japan, the only country to have suffered from atomic bombings in war, and Kazakhstan, which experienced the exposure at a nuclear test site.

www.mofa.go.jp