On November 16, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha welcomed his Japanese counterpart Iwaya Takeshi in Kyiv. They discussed a broad range of issues concerning Ukraine-Japan cooperation and global security challenges.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed his gratitude to his Japanese counterpart for choosing Kyiv as one of the first destinations for his foreign visits after the formation of a new Japanese government. He underscored that this decision sends a significant message of solidarity and support, especially during this challenging time for Ukraine.
Andrii Sybiha emphasized that Ukraine highly values the Ukrainian-Japanese global partnership and considers Japan to be a key ally in Asia and the Indo-Pacific region. He added that despite the distance of eight thousand kilometers, Ukraine and Japan are truly close states in terms of their values.
The Ukrainian Minister expressed gratitude to the Government of Japan and to every citizen of Japan for their sincere support of Ukraine amid Russian aggression.
In this context, the Minister of Foreign Affairs recalled that since the very beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Japanese government has provided Ukraine with assistance totalling over USD 12 billion. Andrii Sybiha also highlighted Japan's recent decision to allocate over USD 3 billion from frozen Russian assets, emphasizing that the Ukrainian people greatly appreciate this support.
During their friendly talks, the foreign ministers addressed the security situation in Ukraine and worldwide, in particular, the actual entry of North Korea into the Russian war. According to Andrii Sybiha this situation illustrates how the future of both European and global security architecture is being determined in Ukraine.
“Russia's deepening military-technical cooperation with North Korea and Iran poses a direct threat not only to Europe, but also to South-East Asia and the Middle East. It is not only Russia that receives drones, missiles, and soldiers. Moscow is strengthening Tehran and Pyongyang in return,” he stressed.
The Minister further pointed out that, based on Ukrainian intelligence, Pyongyang is seeking to exchange its participation in the aggression against Ukraine for access to Russian technology in missile, nuclear and other military programmes.
"This is extremely dangerous. All this cannot but concern our partners. That's why we have to counter such global threats together," the Ukrainian foreign minister said.
In this context Andrii Sybiha emphasized that only consistent and robust support for Ukraine can halt Russia and bring a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace. According to him, Russia’s defeat in Ukraine will stop other aggressors from their aggressive plans.
The diplomats discussed in detail modalities of Japan's involvement in the practical implementation of the Victory Plan and the Peace Formula, as well as implementation of the Agreement on Support for Ukraine and Cooperation, signed this year by the leaders of the two countries. Andrii Sybiha has noted that it is about strengthening the high-level security dialogue between Ukraine and Japan.
The ministers have also agreed to enhance sanctions pressure on the aggressor state. In this context, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister noted that since the beginning of the invasion, Japan had imposed 26 packages of sanctions against individuals and entities in Russia and Belarus. He emphasized that partners would continue their efforts to close off any avenues for circumventing these restrictions.
Andrii Sybiha expressed special gratitude to Japan for cooperation in humanitarian demining and readiness to host a relevant international conference next year. He added that another batch of powerful generators would be handed over today. He also noted that Ukraine would receive 100 generators from Japan this year. According to Minister, this an important and timely assistance.
The Ukrainian Minister welcomed the participation of Japan and Japanese businesses in the reconstruction of Ukraine. In this context, the Minister the significance of the Conference on Ukraine's Reconstruction held in Tokyo in February 2024. The diplomats agreed to continue implementing the “roadmap” of cooperation outlined at the Conference. They also discussed the upcoming steps for further liberalization of the visa regime.
Andrii Sybiha stated that the Ukrainian-Japanese bilateral cooperation had reached the level of a strategic partnership in recent years and said that the Ukrainian side would continue to develop mutually beneficial bilateral relations between the two countries.
A special element of the visit was the presentation at the MFA of Ukraine of specially selected archival diplomatic documents from the times of the Ukrainian People's Republic, the Ukrainian SSR and the first years of Ukraine's modern history. These historical documents reflect the friendly nature of Ukrainian-Japanese relations at that time.
While presenting the exhibition to his Japanese counterpart, the Ukrainian Minister emphasized that the documents demonstrated the enduring diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Japan over the decades.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its gratitude to Anatolii Khromov, the Head of the State Archival Service, and Larysa Levchenko, the Director of the Central State Archive of Higher Higher Authorities and Administration, for selecting and preparing the materials for the presentation.