Official visit of President Serzh Sargsyan to Japan

On June 5, President Serzh Sargsyan has arrived to Japan on official visit.

In Sendai city, President Sargsyan visited the Yuriage-Hiyoriyama Memorial and paid tribute to the memory of the victims of the 2011 earthquake in Japan and those who perished in tsunami. He also familiarized with the works aimed at the elimination of the consequences of the natural disaster and visited the temporary shelter of the tsunami victims; at the Natori rehabilitation center met with the residents.

The President greeted the residents of Sendai who suffered during the natural disaster on behalf of his delegation and his own behalf and conveyed to them sympathy of the Armenian people. Serzh Sargsyan underscored that one year ago, Armenia was shocked with the news of the earthquake in Japan, and was following the events and praying for the people of Japan. “In those days, a solemn mass was offered at the Saint Grigor Illuminator in Yerevan for the victims of the earthquake, and the prayer of the Armenian Catholicos was joined by thousands of Armenians who prayed for the memory of all victims. We were well aware of the impact that natural disaster can make. You lost numerous relatives and friends, and I bow to their memory,” the President of Armenia said.

He also noted that the grateful Armenian nation didn’t forget assistance and warm attitude of the Japanese in 1988 when Armenia was going through tough times and at the same time was eliminating the consequences of the devastating earthquake.

Serzh Sargsyan expressed confidence that the people of Japan, who during their history have withstood great disasters, will overcome this one too and the Government of Japan together with the people will be able to totally eradicate every trace of the disaster.

“The people of Japan will emerge from this disaster even stronger. I wish that every one of you get a new home and that these homes are filled with children’s cry and the families get a great deal of warmth and peace,” President Sargsyan said.

In Sendai, the President of Armenia was also demonstrated the works on the reconstruction of the airport which was ruined during the tsunami.

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President Serzh Sargsyan, who is conducting an official visit to Japan, met with the Speaker of the House of Representative of Japan Takahiro Yokomichi. The interlocutors conveyed mutual congratulations on the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Japan and noted with satisfaction that in the last twenty years the Armenian-Japanese relations have been developing dynamically. The Speaker of the House of Representative of Japan expressed hope that the official visit of President Sargsyan will give a new impetus to the further development of the political and economic relations of the two countries, deepening cooperation and strengthening of the interparliamentary ties.

Takahiro Yokomichi expressed gratitude to the President of Armenia for his visit to the disaster affected zone, for meeting with the residents as well as for the words of sympathy and support. He said that Japan didn’t forget assistance provided by Armenia right after the 2011 disaster and expressed gratitude to the Armenian people who also went through a similar calamity.

President Serzh Sargsyan underscored that Armenia is interested in deepening its relations with Japan and thanked for the considerable technical and other kind of assistance provided to Armenia by Japan from day one of our independence and aimed at the social and technical development of our country. 

The President of Armenia and Mr. Takahiro Yokomichi stressed also the importance of Armenian-Japanese cooperation in the framework of international organizations.

They expressed confidence that after the creation in the newly elected Parliament of Armenia of the Armenian-Japanese Friendship Group, the interparliamentary ties of the two countries will become even stronger.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the President of Armenia toured the Parliament and visited the Assembly Hall.

In Tokyo, Serzh Sargsyan visited today also the Toshiba Museum of Science, where he was introduced to over 130 year-long history of the renowned Toshiba Company, its activities, the entire collection of its products, perspective and modern technologies of the Company.

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President Serzh Sargsyan continues his official visit to Japan. On June 6, Serzh Sargsyan met with Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.

At the beginning of the meeting, President Sargsyan expressed condolences on the demise of Prince Tomohito Mikasanoma.

The President of Armenia and Prime Minister of Japan discussed possibilities of the development of bilateral relations and expansion of cooperation in different areas. They mutually underlined that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Japan the relations between the two states have been developing in the atmosphere of friendship and mutual trust.

President Serzh Sargsyan and Prime Minister Noda noted that cooperation of the two countries holds a great potential for development. Particularly the parties stressed the importance of cooperation in the area of disaster prevention, elimination of the consequences and exchange of experience. The areas of agriculture and industry were also noted among prospective spheres for cooperation.

The Prime Minister of Japan said that his country will be sharing with the international community its experience in the enhancement of the nuclear power stations safety; toward that end the parties mutually stressed the importance of cooperation between Armenia and Japan in this area.

At the meeting, the parties spoke also about the efficient cooperation in the framework of international organizations based on mutual assistance and underscored the importance of its continuity.

The sides noted with satisfaction that the Armenian-Japanese political dialogue has recently become more dynamic which is evidenced by the opening of the Armenian Embassy in Tokyo. They also stressed the importance of the establishing Embassy of Japan in Yerevan. The parties discussed also current issues in the South Caucasus and Asia Pacific regions, registering the common approach regarding their peaceful and negotiation-based resolution.

At the conclusion of the meeting, President Serzh Sargsyan and Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda signed a Joint Declaration of the President of the Republic of Armenia and the Prime Minister of Japan.

On June 6, the Prime Minister of Japan gave an official dinner in honor of the President of Armenia.

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On June 7, President Serzh Sargsyan met in Tokyo with the Emperor of Japan Akihito. At the private meeting with the Emperor, Serzh Sargsyan discussed issues related to the Armenian-Japanese friendship and cooperation.

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President Serzh Sargsyan, who is Japan on an official visit, on June 7 had a working lunch with the representatives of the business community of Japan. President Serzh Sargsyan presented the economic priorities of our country, business environment and prospective programs. The President of Armenia invited Japanese businessmen to conduct in Armenia a mutually beneficial business with their Armenian counterparts and make investments to the Armenian economy.

The participants of the meeting discussed possibilities of cooperation in the areas of electoral engineering, chemical production, agriculture, machine building, and light industry.

They stressed the importance of expanding opportunities to provide all necessary information about Armenia; towards that end the recently opened Embassy of Armenia in Japan has also started active works.

President Serzh Sargsyan visited also the Soka University of Tokyo, met with the students and faculty of the University. The Student Council of the University handed to the President of Armenia the Certificate of Honor named “Friendship of the Peoples”, while the rector of the Soka University of Tokyo awarded Serzh Sargsyan with the title Honorary Doctor scientific degree of the University. The President was handed a gold medal and a badge.

President Serzh Sargsyan made a statement at the Soka University of Tokyo, and expressed thanks for the warm welcome and extended honor.

In the evening, Serzh Sargsyan had a dinner with the members of the Japan-Armenia parliamentary friendship group.