MINSK, 30 June (BelTA) – Belarus would like to forge closer links with Japan, in particular in investment, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Hiromichi Watanabe, Minister for Reconstruction and Minister in charge of Comprehensive Policy Coordination for Revival from the Nuclear Accident at Fukushima, on 30 June, BelTA has learned.
The head of state emphasized that Belarus is happy to welcome the high-ranking government official from Japan. “It is high time to build good and friendly relations between Belarus and Japan,” the Belarusian leader said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that he closely follows developments in Japan. “We are glad about your successes and feel sad if you run into problems. Japan is a highly developed country boasting cutting-edge technology. I saw it with my own eyes 20 years ago,” the president said.
“We have opted for building very close ties with Japan, in particular, in investment, despite the distance between us. If the Japanese government is ready for that, the process will take off very soon. If your country has an interest in this part of the world – Europe – you can use Belarus as a springboard for advancing your interests,” the Belarusian leader said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko believes that it would be good to start with several investment projects in Belarus in order to lay some groundwork and learn more about each other.
The president noted that Belarus and Japan have a history of meaningful cooperation, in particular, in mitigation of the aftermath of various catastrophes. “Japan was the first country to lend us a helping hand after the Chernobyl catastrophe. Apart from that, you supported our country and our people living in the Chernobyl-affected areas. Our researchers joined efforts to find ways to mitigate the Chernobyl aftermath. You see, it turned out that our joint solutions came in handy after the Fukushima disaster,” the head of state said.
“In other words, we are open for cooperation. If the Japanese government is also interested in it, let us begin,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.
In his turn, Hiromichi Watanabe thanked the Belarusian head of state for the invitation to attend the closing ceremony of the 2nd European Games. He noted that this sports event helped bring people and countries together. “I believe we need to deepen our cooperation in culture and sport,” the minister said.
Hiromichi Watanabe thanked Belarus for helping Japan overcome the aftermath of the disastrous earthquake that happened in March 2011 in the east of the country. The earthquake caused a tsunami along the northwest coast of the main island of Honshu. That was the reason for the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
Since the 1990s Belarus and Japan have been cooperating in the mitigation of man-made and natural disasters. This cooperation intensified after the Fukushima disaster. As part of the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) Program of the Japanese government, Japan provides Belarusian healthcare facilities in the Chernobyl-affected areas with the necessary equipment. The annual volume of financing as part of the project stands at $300,000-400,000. The total amount of funds has exceeded $3 million.
After the natural and man-made disasters hit Japan in March 2011, Belarus offered Japan financial assistance of $500,000 (the money was transferred to the Japanese Red Cross Society).
Since 2012, Belarus has been running a recuperation program for Japanese children stemming from the areas affected by the Fukushima disaster.
Belarus and Japan set up a joint committee on implementing the intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in mitigation of accidents at nuclear power plants.
