‘I am highly delighted that during my visit I had an opportunity to pay tribute to the memory of Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara who had worked in Lithuania and has joined together our nations. The feat of Sugihara will always remain an example for future generations. I am deeply moved by my visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, where we have paid tribute to the victims of atomic bombing. Lithuania, who had suffered badly from the occupation regimes, highly values aspirations for peace and stability. Let me stress that Lithuania and Japan share common priorities in the field of nuclear safety: we understand the importance of lessons of nuclear accidents and the necessity to enhance nuclear safety for the security of our states and citizens’, said the Prime Minister.
During the meeting, delight was expressed at the active development of bilateral economic relations that saw remarkable revival following the visit to Lithuania by Prime Minister of Japan Shinzō Abe at the beginning of this year, with impressive growth of bilateral trade.
According to the Head of Government, participation at the biotechnology exhibition BioJapan 2018 has created an excellent opportunity to present the life sciences sector, which is the fastest-growing sector of economy in Lithuania. The EU-Japan free trade agreement which will come into force in the short run will provide conditions for the development of mutual trade.
It has been underlined that the signed Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Science and Technology will add additional impetus to the bilateral economic cooperation in the field of investment, which is of special importance to Lithuania. People-to-people contacts should be enhanced by the bilateral Agreement on the Working Holiday Programme, the coordination of which is being finalised.
In the meeting with Prime Minister of Japan Shinzō Abe the regional and global security situation was discussed. It was noted that Lithuania and Japan were like-minded partners and had great potential for enhancement of bilateral cooperation in the field of security. Lithuania supports Japan’s position on North Korea. Lithuania and Japan share the interest to see all countries meet their international commitments and refrain from actions that increase tension and pose threat to the peace and security in the region. According to Prime Minister Skvernelis, shared values and good will always overcome geographical distances between countries.
