Today, I held a summit meeting with Albanian Prime Minister Rama, who has visited Japan for the first time in three years.
Albania is an important partner for Japan, sharing values and principles. It also contributes to regional stability in the Western Balkans, a region with a complex history. Furthermore, Albania is undertaking highly advanced initiatives, such as appointing the AI “Diela” as a minister in charge of public procurement to combat corruption.
In the meeting, I conveyed my intention to continue supporting Albania’s reforms toward EU membership under the “Western Balkans Cooperation Initiative” announced in 2018. I also directly explained to Prime Minister Rama the evolved “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)” announced this month, and received his reaffirmed support.
We also engaged in frank exchanges of views on the situation in Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific region. As security in Europe and the Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific becomes increasingly indivisible, Japan will continue to advance cooperation and collaboration with Albania across various fields in the future.
: Sanae Takaichi
Prime Minister of Japan