The agenda of the 27th Universal Postal Congress that will take place in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, in August 2021, was discussed in a meeting of Mihail Lupașcu, secretary of state at the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure, and Yoshihiro Katayama, Japan’s Ambassador to Moldova. The two officials conferred primarily on the election on the administration of the Universal Postal Union and the promotion of the official candidacy of Japan, which is to compete against two more candidates, IPN reports.

According to the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure, Mihail Lupașcu thanked the Government of Japan for the foreign assistance offered in such strategic sectors as agriculture, the environment, healthcare and education.

“Japan is one of the most important Asian partners of the Republic of Moldova from commercial and investment viewpoints. We are glad that Japanese companies are present on the market of the Republic of Moldova and we enjoy specialized consultancy services in business at the national level and the promotion of the export of wines made in the Republic of Moldova in Japan, including of the country brand “Wine of Moldova”,” stated the official.

Mihail Lupașcu suggested considering the possibility of attracting Japanese business entities as investors into industrial parks, free economic zones, the Giurgiulești International Port, the Mărculești International Airport. He invited the companies of Jupon to become residents of the Moldova IT Park that offer attractive conditions for foreign investors owing to the common tax of 7% and to take part in the tender contests in the field of energy infrastructure and renewable energy and road infrastructure.

For his part, Japan’s Ambassador in Chisinau approved of the quality of the Moldovan wine, saying additional effort is needed to promote the export of wine to Japan and to develop tourism so as offer more possibilities to Japanese tourists to visit the Republic of Moldova. In this connection, Yoshihiro Katayama referred to the importance of online events aimed at promoting exports and identifying new investment opportunities, saying such measures will help advance the bilateral dialogue of the business communities of the two countries.

Moldova’s foreign trade in 2020 came to US$58.66 million, up 9.51% on 2019. Japan is the 22nd among the main commercial partners of the Republic of Moldova, with a share of 0.74% of total trade. There are 17 enterprises with Japanese capital in Moldova at present.