The Prime
Minister of Japan, His Excellency Shinzo Abe paid an Official Visit to
the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka from 7 to 8 September
2014, on the invitation extended by the President of Sri Lanka, His
Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa, during his Official Working Visit to Japan
in March 2013. This is the first visit to Sri Lanka by a Prime Minister
of Japan in 24 years since 1990.
At the conclusion of the official talks between the Sri Lankan and
Japanese delegations, led by the two leaders at the Presidential
Secretariat in Colombo today (7th September 2014), the attached Joint
Statement was issued.Joint Statement between Sri Lanka and Japan
1. The Prime Minister of Japan, His Excellency Shinzo Abe, paid an
Official Visit to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka from 7
to 8 September 2014, on the invitation extended by the President of Sri
Lanka, His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa, during his Official Working
Visit to Japan in March 2013. This is the first visit to Sri Lanka by a
Prime Minister of Japan in 24 years since 1990.
2. Prime Minister Abe and President Rajapaksa held a summit meeting
on 7 September 2014. Recalling that His Excellency Nobusuke Kishi, the
then-Prime Minister of Japan and grandfather of His Excellency Shinzo
Abe, paid the first official visit by a Japanese Prime Minister to Sri
Lanka in 1957, the two leaders reaffirmed the strong bonds of friendship
between the two countries through generations. The two leaders welcomed
the important progress made on the initiatives laid out in the Joint
Statement of March 2013 on “Strengthening Japan-Sri Lanka Partnership
beyond the 60th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations”, and decided to
pursue further action towards this end.
3. Recognizing Sri Lanka’s enormous potential as a maritime nation in
the Indian Ocean, the two leaders expressed their determination to
elevate Sri Lanka-Japan relations, which have matured and diversified
based on the long-standing friendship, into “a new partnership between
maritime countries”; and further strengthen the cooperative relations to
play significant roles in the stability and prosperity of the Pacific
and Indian Ocean regions.
Shared values and policy dialogue
4. Reaffirming the importance of shared values of democracy and the
rule of law, the two leaders welcomed the high level constructive
exchanges and the reciprocal visits by the Presidents of the
Parliamentary Friendship Leagues between the two countries since March
2013. The two leaders reiterated their commitment and decided to promote
the policy dialogue at the senior official level of the two Foreign
Ministries to expand and consolidate the bilateral relationship.
Enhancement of cooperation in the maritime field
5. The two leaders noted the strategic geographical location of Sri
Lanka, in the Indian Ocean sea lanes straddling Asia and Africa. Bearing
in mind the importance of ensuring the freedom and safety of navigation
in the region, the two leaders decided to establish the Sri Lanka-Japan
Dialogue on Maritime Security and Oceanic Issues in order to
effectively address the issues of mutual interest in oceanic issues.
With a view to accelerating cooperation on maritime connectivity, the
two leaders shared the intention to also promote cooperation in the
maritime sector. PresidentRajapaksa expressed his expectation for
cooperation in the fields of ports and harbors development and marine
education.
6. Prime Minister Abe expressed his gratitude to the Sri Lankan
Government for the facilitation of the port calls by the vessels of the
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). The two leaders expressed
satisfaction with the steady progress in the promotion of cooperation
and exchanges between the two defense establishments, as confirmed at
the last summit meeting in March 2013. The two leaders decided to
further promote cooperation and exchanges in the field of maritime
security. The two leaders noted the extensive cooperation highlighted
through exercises and the participation at symposiums by JMSDF and the
Sri Lanka Navy.
7. The two leaders welcomed the cooperation between coast guards in
the fields of maritime law enforcement, Search and Rescue (SAR),
disaster risk reduction and environment protection. President Rajapaksa
expressed his appreciation for the dispatch of Japanese experts to the
Sri Lanka Coast Guard and expressed hope for further assistance for the
coast guard capacity improvement through the provision of patrol
vessels. Prime Minister Abe reaffirmed the importance of capacity
building on maritime safety in Sri Lanka, and stated that the Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA) would conduct a survey with a
view to providing the vessels.
Steps towards national reconciliation in Sri Lanka
8. Acknowledging that peace and stability are the desire of all
people, the two leaders reaffirmed the importance of national
reconciliation for the ever-lasting peace in Sri Lanka, a multi- ethnic
and multi-religious country. Prime Minister Abe, while recognizing the
progress made so far, reiterated the importance of dialogue among all
stakeholders for national reconciliation and further efforts to promote
the implementation of the National Plan of Action on the recommendations
of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC). He also
highly appreciated the specific actions such as holding the election of
the Northern Provincial Council in September 2013, submitting to
Parliament the Bill on Assistance to and Protection of Victims and
Witnesses, finalizing the report of the Joint Needs Assessment on
resettled IDPs, and expanding the mandate of the Presidential Commission
of Inquiry on Missing Persons including the establishment of an
Advisory Council comprising internationally recognized persons of
eminence as domestic initiatives.
9. In order to assist the Sri Lankan Government’s efforts to achieve
national reconciliation, the two leaders recalled Japan’s initiatives
such as the project for the training of officers in community
development in conflict-affected areas and assistance for the trilingual
policy, and welcomed recent progress such as the dispatch of experts
for promoting agricultural production and marketing in less developed
areas. Prime Minister Abe assuredthat Japan would continue to support
Sri Lankan efforts towards national reconciliation.
10. President Rajapaksa expressed his appreciation for Japan’s continuous and constructive engagement for peace-building, in addition to reconstruction of local infrastructure, promotion of livelihood of rural communities and capacity building for the community organizations, including the launch of a survey on improving capacity of the campus complex at the Faculty of Agriculture, Kilinochchi, University of Jaffna. President Rajapaksa reiterated his Government’s ongoing engagement with the international community and the United Nations system. Prime Minister Abe welcomed the continuing engagement of the Government of Sri Lanka, in particular with the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and its willingness to conduct high-level dialogues with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the invitation extended to him to visit Sri Lanka during 2014. He also appreciated the scheduling of a meeting in Geneva with the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (UNWGEID) later this month and to seek visit by UNWGEID to Sri Lanka at a mutually appropriate time. Prime Minister Abe appreciated the political leadership of President Rajapaksa towards national reconciliation.
Sri Lanka’ s progression to upper-middle income country status
11. President Rajapaksa greatly appreciated Japan’s Official
Development Assistance (ODA), which has been playing a significant role
in the socio-economic development of Sri Lanka, over the past 60 years
since Japan became a member of the Colombo Plan in 1954. President
Rajapaksa further detailed his vision in promoting Sri Lanka’s economic
and social development by utilizing the advanced technologies of Japan.
Prime Minister Abe expressed the willingness of the Government of Japan
to continue to support the efforts by the Government of Sri Lanka to
achieve its Mahinda Chintana national development policy framework,
progress towards achieving Millennium Development Goals, and its
commitment to the formulation of the post-2015 development agenda, as
well as Sri Lanka’s goal of becoming an upper middle income country,
free of poverty by 2020 in consideration of human security.
12. Prime Minister Abe welcomed Sri Lanka’s adoption of the
Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) as its
terrestrial digital television broadcasting system. The two leaders
welcomed the signing of the Exchange of Notes for yen loan amounting up
to 13.717 billion yen for the Digitalization of Terrestrial Television
Broadcasting Project which includes construction of antenna towers,
transmitting station buildings, DBNO Administrative Building, Digital TV
Centre and electrical equipment work. President Rajapaksa welcomed
the implementation of a survey with a view to providing educational and
documentary TV programs from the Government of Japan. The two leaders
decided to advance bilateral cooperation in the field of information and
communication technology (ICT), including capacity building to promote
terrestrial digital television broadcasting, which will contribute
towards enhancement of cooperation in areas such as disaster prevention,
education, traffic control, health care, maritime safety, agriculture,
tourism, and e- Government.
13. Recalling that both countries have experienced the devastation
wrought by tsunami, the two leaders stressed the importance of building
resilience through human resource development, educating people and
infrastructure development in facing the challenges posed by such
natural disasters. President Rajapaksa expressed his appreciation for
Japan’s cooperation towards disaster risk reduction and expressed
interest in sharing its experience and expertise. Prime Minister Abe
announced to conduct a survey with a view to introducing meteorological
radar system and disaster management information system in Sri Lanka,
while expressing his intention to continue to extend Japan’s assistance
including technical cooperation to Sri Lanka in disaster risk reduction,
meteorological forecasting and landslide mitigation activities.
14. The two leaders welcomed the outcome of the study conducted by
JICA on transport infrastructure for metropolitan areas including the
introduction of suitable mass rapid transit system to mitigate the
traffic congestion and eliminate transport bottlenecks. President
Rajapaksa expressed his hope that positive outcomes of the JICA study
could be incorporated into the Strategy 2020, which is being developed
by the Government of Sri Lanka and that Japan's advanced expertise and
technologies could be further utilized in implementing concrete
projects. Prime Minister Abe expressed his intention that Japan would
continue to provide necessary assistance in this field.
15. The two leaders welcomed the recent increase of tourists visiting Sri Lanka, including from Japan, with the advent of peace and stability in the country. In this regard, President Rajapaksa welcomed and appreciated Japan's assistance for seamless implementation of the Bandaranaike International Airport construction project, in particular the progress of its Phase II. President Rajapaksa also expressed his appreciation for the support of the Government of Japan in infrastructure development in Sri Lanka including the construction of expressways and hydropower projects; and informed of the desire to further explore opportunities for collaboration. President Rajapaksa also appreciated the assistance of Japan towards the preservation of cultural heritage and the promotion of tourism. The two leaders noted the contribution of such cooperation towards enhancing people-to-people exchanges.
16. The two leaders shared the view on the importance of utilizing
highly-efficient coal-fired power generation technologies in order to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this regard, the two leaders
welcomed the continuation of the feasibility study being conducted by
New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) for
the construction of a new coal-fired power plant in Trincomalee, and
shared the intention to explore the possibility to introduce Japanese
industries clean coal technology in Sri Lanka.
17. The two leaders welcomed the ongoing discussion between the Sri
Lanka Parliament and the Japanese consortium for refurbishment work of
the Parliamentary Complex of Sri Lanka. They expressed their expectation
to see further progress in discussions regarding use of Japanese goods
and services with appropriate financing.
18. The two leaders welcomed the Japanese contribution so far to
develop the medical sector in Sri Lanka and expressed their intention to
explore the possibility of further cooperation including medical human
resources development.
Agricultural cooperation
19. Recognizing the importance of agriculture in national development
and its contribution to uplift the living standards of the people
of the two countries, the two leaders welcomed the signing of the
Memorandum of Cooperation in Agriculture and related Fields. Cooperation
in the fields of science, technology and innovation
20. The two leaders shared the view on the importance of science,
technology and innovation in the development of the national economies.
In this regard, the two leaders welcomed the signing of the Letter of
Intent between the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
Technology of Japan and the Ministry of Technology and Research of the
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka on Co-operation in the Fields
of Science, Technology and Innovation.
Enhancement of trade and investment
21. The two leaders noted the consistent economic growth of Sri Lanka
and shared the view that Sri Lanka has the potential to become a hub of
the Indian Ocean Rim economic zone. The two leaders welcomed the
presence of CEOs of renowned Japanese companies in the delegation led by
Prime Minister Abe. The two leaders welcomed the holding of the
Business Forum in fostering mutually beneficial business alliances
between the private sectors of the two countries, and reaffirmed their
will to promote and facilitate Japan’s investment to Sri Lanka. The two
leaders appreciated the success of the Japan External Trade Organization
(JETRO) business mission in October 2013, and its business survey of
Sri Lanka Business and welcomed the IT industry related business
development initiatives by JETRO.
22. The two leaders welcomed the Memorandum of Cooperation on
Vitalization of Inter-governmental Economic Policy Dialogue which was
signed between the two countries with a view to expanding bilateral
trade, investment and economic engagement.
23. The two leaders expressed their expectations for further
investment in Sri Lanka by Japanese companies and welcomed recent
investment by Japanese businesses to Sri Lanka in the sectors of finance
and logistics. President Rajapaksa assured the promotion of a
favourable business environment for Japanese businesses through
appropriate follow up on the outcome of the Government-Private Joint
Forum held in July 2014.
24. The two leaders appreciated the role played by Japan Sri Lanka
Technical and Cultural Association (JASTECA) which is an alumni
association of the current Overseas Human Resources and Industry
Development Association (HIDA) in introducing Japanese-style management
skills and know-how in Sri Lanka.
Investment in human resources
25. In order to diversify the cooperative links between the two
countries and to elevate the friendly relationship, the two leaders
stressed the importance of promoting people-to-people exchanges. The two
leaders acknowledged the importance of Japan’s substantial assistance
to the Academy of Financial Studies (AFS) and public sector training
through the Japanese Grant Aid for Human Resource Development
Scholarship (JDS) Program for the capacity building of public sector
officials who contribute to the national development of Sri Lanka.
26. Prime Minister Abe referred to his vision of creating a “Society
where women shine” and expressed his determination to contribute towards
promoting Sri Lankan women’s empowerment. President Rajapaksa expressed
his appreciation for Japan’s contribution to women’s empowerment and
sought to partner with the initiatives to develop women
entrepreneurship.
27. The two leaders reiterated the importance of strengthening
cooperation in the area of youth and sports. Prime Minister Abe
expressed his intention to reinforce bilateral sports exchanges through
the “Sport for Tomorrow” program.
Cooperation in regional and global affairs
Cooperation in regional and global affairs
28. Prime Minister Abe briefed President Rajapaksa on his "Proactive
Contribution to Peace" and Japan's Cabinet Decision on the development
of seamless security legislation, the concept of which was supported by
the President as Japan's own security policy.
29. President Rajapaksa briefed Prime Minister Abe on his vision for
the future of Sri Lanka as a hub in Asia. Prime Minister Abe
acknowledged this vision, to which Japan could positively contribute.
30. The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of the freedom of
navigation and overflight of the high seas, civil aviation safety,
unimpeded lawful commerce, and peaceful settlement of disputes in
accordance with principles of international law.
31. The two leaders reiterated their call for North Korea to address
the concerns of the international community, including the early
settlement of the abductions issue. They also urged North Korea to
refrain from any further provocative actions including ballistic missile
launches, which could hinder the progress of the Six Party Talks, and
to take concrete actions towards denuclearization and other goals.
32. President Rajapaksa welcomed Japan’s constructive engagement with
the member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) and strengthening its connectivity including through
the Japan-SAARC Energy Symposium. Prime Minister Abe expressed his
intention to further strengthen the relationship with SAARC.
33. Prime Minister Abe expressed his gratitude for Sri Lanka’s
continued support for Japan’s permanent membership in the United Nations
Security Council. The two leaders shared the intention to work together
to achieve concrete outcomes on Security Council reform including the
expansion of both the permanent and non-permanent categories next year
during the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.
34. The two leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms and
manifestations, irrespective of their perpetrators, origin and
motivations. They emphasized that the evolving character of terrorism
called for stronger international partnership in combating terrorism,
including through increased sharing of information and intelligence.
They also called for reinvigorating multilateral action on terrorism,
including the finalization and adoption of the Comprehensive Convention
on International Terrorism in the United Nations at the earliest.
35. The two leaders reaffirmed further cooperation to tackle global
issues including climate change, environmental issues and disaster risk
reduction, recognizing the importance of addressing these pressing
global challenges including the formulation of the post- 2015
development agenda, and cooperation towards a new international
framework for climate change under the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be adopted at COP21. The two
leaders also reaffirmed active participation in the Third World
Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction to be held in Sendai, Japan in
March 2015 and their cooperation for the success of the Conference.
36. The two leaders reiterated their support for continued
cooperation on issues of common interest and relevance in multilateral
fora.
37. The two leaders expressed their satisfaction at the outcome of
the Official Visit by Prime Minister Abe to Sri Lanka as reflecting the
continuing robust relations that exist between the two countries. Prime
Minister Abe expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and courtesy
extended by President Rajapaksa and the Sri Lankan people during the
visit.
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