Alberto Fernández received the Chancellor of Japan, his first international visit

President Alberto Fernández received this Thursday at the Casa Rosada the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Toshimitsu Motegi, who expressed his country’s desire to deepen the bilateral economic tiessaid Casa Rosada in a press release. Also, it was stated, that they spoke of bilateral cooperation around the COVID19 pandemic.

This is the first international visit that Fernández and Solá receive. Before the closures due to the coronavirus quarantine, the President had made a tour of Europe and had visited Mexico, Peru and Bolivia, before and after taking office. On November 8, he was in La Paz for the inauguration of Luis Arce.

Accompanied by the Chief of Cabinet, Santiago Cafiero; Foreign Minister Felipe Solá and Argentine Ambassador to Japan, Guillermo Hunt, Fernández highlighted, at the meeting, “the agreement between both countries in the fight against climate change and respect for international rules, peace and human rights “.

For his part, Motegi, who was accompanied by the country’s ambassador to Argentina, Takahiro Nakamae, stated Japan’s intention to continue deepening collaboration, as strategic partners, between both countries, to strengthen and consolidate the multilateral system and understanding on common values, and stated: “Argentina and Japan are in distant parts of the globe, but emotionally very close.”

Fernández took the opportunity to thank the Government of Japan for the recent donation of medical equipment, two tomographs and a resonator, which will serve to strengthen the national health system, in the context of the pandemic.

And, in the same way, it valued the investments in the country by Japanese companies, such as Nissan, which last August announced an investment of 130 million dollars. Toyota, which will start producing new versions of two of its models after investing 50 million dollars. Meanwhile, Toyota Tsusho, which is carrying out an expansion process of its lithium extraction project at the Sales de Jujuy mining company.

During the meeting, there was also space to talk about the celebration of the Olympic Games, which will take place in the city of Tokyo, between July 23 and August 8 of this year. Although we will have to see the evolution of the virus that stopped the operation of practically all international activities.

In this regard, the Head of State expressed his hope that it would be the occasion for “celebrate together the triumph over the coronavirus”.

Once his visit to the Casa Rosada was over, the Chancellor of Japan went to the San Martín Palace for a working meeting with Solá, who was with his team. The visit included a wreath to the Liberator General San Martín in the square that bears his name.

The Foreign Ministry statement reported that Motegi agreed with Solá on the need to “promote reciprocal trade and investment” within the framework of the strategic relationship between the two nations. And they talked about possible links with Mercosur.

In this sense, Solá indicated to his colleague that Japan is a paIt is “very important” for Argentina, not only at the political level, but also as a commercial partner, and he stressed that both nations “They share the same values, such as multilateralism, respect for democracy and the rule of law, the promotion and defense of human rights and the peaceful solution of conflicts between States.”