The Republic of Moldova celebrates 30 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Japan. On this occasion, Deputy Prime Minister Nicu Popescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, had a telephone conversation with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Hayashi Yoshimasa. The diplomats confirmed the interest in extending the political, commercial-economic, educational and cultural dialogue and underlined the privileged character of the Moldovan-Japanese cooperation the last three decades, IPN reports.

In the discussion, the interlocutors conferred on the current stage of the bilateral relations and on the security situation in the region. Nicu Popescu expressed his gratitude for the intention to offer Moldova assistance to the value of about US$3.5 million for managing the flow of Ukrainian refugees and to send a mission of the Japan International Cooperation Agency to assess the humanitarian needs of the refugees.

The minister also informed his counterpart about the impact of the war on the Republic of Moldova, including on exports, the economic and energy sectors.

“We exchanged opinions on the importance of international cooperation in overcoming this large-scale humanitarian crisis, mentioning our country’s firm support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” said Nicu Popescu, being quoted in a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He also thanked the Government of Japan for the assistance provided in time in different areas, with the most recent aid being offered to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, to purchase modern firefighting equipment and to create the National Digitization Center at the National Library.

The Republic of Moldova and Japan established diplomatic relations on March 16, 1992.